ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Respiratory Medicine 2021 June;60(2):23-8

DOI: 10.23736/S2784-8477.21.01908-8

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

The red blood cell distribution width is independently associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Alessandro G. FOIS ^{1, 2}, Valentina SCANO ¹, Alberto BAGLIERI ¹, Elena MASOTTO ¹, Elisabetta ZINELLU ², Elisabetta SOTGIU ³, Sabrina MELLINO ³, Arduino A. MANGONI ⁴, Ciriaco CARRU ¹, Pietro PIRINA ^{1, 2}, Angelo ZINELLU ³ ✉

¹ Department of Clinical, Surgical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari Italy; ² Unit of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital of Sassari, Sassari, Italy; ³ Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy; ⁴ Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Flinders Medical Center, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia

BACKGROUND: It is well known that inflammation-driven pathways play a significant pathogenic role in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We assessed whether the red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and the mean platelet volume (MPV), often related to inflammatory diseases, are associated with IPF.
METHODS: RDW and MPV were measured in 77 IPF patients and 62 controls matched for age, sex and smoking status.
RESULTS: The RDW, but not the MPV, were significantly higher in IPF patients than controls (median: 14.0%; IQR: 13.2-14.9% vs. 13.1%; IQR: 12.3-13.9%, P=0.00003). In logistic regression, the significant association between RDW and IPF (OR=1.924; 95%CI: 1.347-2.749, P=0.0003) was independent of the percent forced expiratory volume at 1 sec (%FEV1) and forced vital capacity (%FVC). The combined RDW-%FVC-%FEV1 area under the curve (AUC=0.855, 95% CI: 0.785-0.909, P<0.0001) was significantly higher than that of individual components and their two-component combinations, with a 78% sensibility and 84% specificity.
CONCLUSIONS: The RDW might represent a clinically suitable marker particularly in combination with lung functional parameters %FVC and %FEV1 for the diagnosis of IPF.

KEY WORDS: Erythrocyte indices; Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; Mean platelet volume