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Updated: May 31, 2026

Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Detection and Quantification of Hepatitis B Virus DNA
Published on: December 15, 2023
Association between red cell distribution width and HBV viral load and liver function parameters in patients with
Lei Zhang1, Chunhua Fang1, Liping Wang1
1Department of Infectious Diseases, Hefei Third People's Hospital (Hefei Third Clinical College of Anhui Medical University), Hefei, China.
Background:
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major global public health challenge. Identifying accessible biomarkers that reflect disease activity is crucial for clinical management. Red cell distribution width (RDW), a parameter routinely reported in complete blood counts, has garnered increasing attention for its role in chronic inflammatory conditions.
Objective:
To investigate the correlation between RDW and HBV viral load and liver function parameters in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).
Methods:
A total of 120 CHB patients admitted to Hefei Third People's Hospital (Hefei Third Clinical College of Anhui Medical University) between February 2023 and May 2025 were enrolled as the CHB group, and 70 healthy individuals undergoing routine physical examination during the same period served as controls. Levels of RDW-CV, RDW-SD, HBV DNA viral load, and liver function parameters were measured and compared between groups. Correlations between RDW and these parameters were analyzed.
Results:
RDW-CV and RDW-SD levels were significantly higher in the CHB group compared to controls (t = 6.784, P < 0.001; t = 6.105, P < 0.001). The high viral load subgroup exhibited significantly elevated RDW-CV and RDW-SD levels relative to the low viral load subgroup (t = 4.783, P < 0.001; t = 3.385, P = 0.001). Patients in the immune-active phase had higher RDW-CV and RDW-SD levels than those in the immune-tolerant/inactive phase (t = 4.725, P < 0.001; t = 4.385, P < 0.001). Spearman correlation analysis revealed positive correlations of RDW-CV and RDW-SD with HBV DNA load, ALT, AST, TBIL, and APRI, and negative correlations with ALB and PLT. Multivariate logistic regression identified high viral load and elevated ALT as independent factors associated with increased RDW.
Conclusion:
RDW is closely associated with viral load and markers of liver injury in CHB patients. These hypothesis-generating findings suggest that RDW warrants further investigation as a potential auxiliary marker for assessing disease activity.
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