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Assessment of the Relationship Between Red Cell Distribution Width and Multiple Sclerosis
You-Fan Peng1, Wen-Yan Cao, Qiong Zhang
1From the Laboratory Medicine Diagnostic Center (Y-FP, W-YC, QZ, Z-XZ); and Department of General Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xin Jiang Medical University, Xinjiang Urumqi, China (DC).
Medicine
|July 23, 2015
Summary
Elevated red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is linked to multiple sclerosis (MS) severity and disability. Treatment with Rebif (IFN-β1a) can decrease RDW, suggesting it may monitor treatment effectiveness in MS patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Immunology
- Hematology
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis involves immune and inflammatory factors.
- Altered polyunsaturated fatty acids in MS affect erythrocyte deformability.
- Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a potential indicator of erythrocyte variation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between RDW and MS.
- To evaluate RDW as a potential biomarker for MS disability and treatment response.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study comparing RDW in 109 MS patients and 130 healthy controls.
- Retrospective follow-up of MS patients treated with subcutaneous recombinant Rebif (IFN-β1a).
- Analysis of complete blood cell counts, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores, logistic regression, and ROC analysis.
Main Results:
- MS patients exhibited significantly higher RDW than controls (13.6% vs 12.8%, P < 0.001).
- RDW positively correlated with EDSS scores in MS patients (r = 0.789, P < 0.001).
- RDW values decreased significantly in treatment responders, correlating with reduced EDSS scores.
Conclusions:
- Elevated RDW is associated with MS and disease severity (EDSS score).
- RDW serves as an independent predictor of MS.
- RDW may be a valuable marker for assessing disability and monitoring treatment efficacy in MS, particularly with Rebif therapy.
