Red cell distribution width levels and disease activity in ulcerative colitis

Abstract

Background: The amount of literature concerning the implication of the red cell distribution width (RDW) in the assessment of ulcerative colitis (UC) activity is rather limited. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential role of RDW in the evaluation of UC disease activity. Materials and Methods: A total of 96 patients with UC and 51 age and sex-matched healthy volunteers were included in a cross-sectional study. Clinical disease activity was defined using the numerical Disease Activity Index (DAI). In addition to RDW, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESR), and platelet counts (PLT) were measured. Results: AThere were 47 (about 49%) patients with that had active UC. The RDW was significantly higher in patients with UC than in controls (p=0.001) and active versus patients in remission (p<0.001). RDW was significantly correlated with DAI scores, ESR, CRP and PLT in active patients. There was a significant correlation between RDW with DAI scores and CRP levels in patients who were in remission. Conclusion: RDW was elevated in UC patients in comparison with healthy controls and increased markedly in active disease. It was also strongly correlated with clinical disease activity scores and inflammatory parameters such as ESR and CRP. RDW, as a cost-effective tool, may be an additional parameter to assess disease activity in UC.