Increased red blood cell distribution width in patients with plaque psoriasis

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Hematology
• Clinical Pathology

Background:

• Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is often elevated in inflammatory conditions.
• The degree of RDW elevation can correlate with disease severity in various disorders.
• Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with potential systemic manifestations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) levels in patients diagnosed with psoriasis.
• To determine if elevated RDW in psoriasis correlates with disease severity, assessed by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI).

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 366 adult plaque psoriasis patients was compared with 366 age- and sex-matched blood donor controls.
• Clinical and laboratory data, including RDW, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), PASI, and C-reactive protein (CRP), were collected.
• Linear regression analysis was used to assess correlations between RDW and clinical/laboratory parameters.

Main Results:

• Psoriatic patients exhibited significantly higher RDW and MCV compared to controls (p<0.01).
• No significant association was found between RDW levels and psoriasis severity (PASI scores), even with varying cut-offs.
• RDW did not correlate with PASI, CRP, age, gender, or comorbidities, nor did it differ between patients with or without psoriatic arthritis.

Conclusions:

• This study confirms elevated RDW in patients with psoriasis.
• The magnitude of RDW elevation in psoriasis patients was not associated with disease severity or other clinical parameters evaluated.