Distribution Width of Red Blood Cells and Related Factors Among Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease in Addis Ababa,...

RDW is critical to the clinical diagnosis and progression of ESRD. There is currently little data on the relationship between RDW and ESRD in sub-Saharan Africa. Because of this, the present study evaluates RDW in patients with ESRD and associated factors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The hospital-based cross-sectional study design was conducted on a total of 83 patients. RDW, MCV, SCR, BUN, GFR, FBS and serum albumin were determined. Blood pressure (mmHg), weight (kg), height (m), MUAC (cm) and BMI (kg/m2) were also measured. Data entry was via Epi-data version 3.4 and analyzed with SPSS version 26.0. A multivariate logistic regression analysis with a p-value < 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval was used to identify the associated factors of RDW.

A total of 83 ESRD patients participated, with a response rate of 95.4%. RDW ranged from 15.5% to 23.6% with a mean of 17.40% + 1.46%. Anisocytosis was present in 98.8% of patients. Of 83 patients, 66.3% were hypertensive, 20.5% had diabetes, and the remaining 13.3% had other conditions (glomerulonephritis and peripheral vascular disease). The mean GFR value was 5.20 mL/min/1.73 + 1.58. RDW showed a significant association with GFR (AOR: 4.6, 95% CI [1.27, 20.74], P = 0.047), alcohol consumption (AOR: 13.4, P = 0.012, 95% CI [1.97, 22.62]), recurrent kidney disease (AOR=25.6, P=0.016, 95% CI [1.85, 53.71]) and use of medication (AOR=00.2, P=0.044), 95% CI [0.03, 0.95]).

RDW showed a significant association with GFR, recurrent kidney disease, alcohol consumption, and medication use in hemodialysis-dependent ESRD patients. The mechanisms of RDW disruption in ESRD patients need further investigation.