Red Blood Cell Distribution Width as an Effective Tool for Detecting Fatal Heart Failure in Super-elderly Patients
Open Access
- 1 January 2012
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Japanese Society of Internal Medicine in Internal Medicine
- Vol. 51 (17), 2271-2276
- https://doi.org/10.2169/internalmedicine.51.7938
Abstract
Objective Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a numerical measure of erythrocyte size variation. It has been recently reported to be an independent prognostic marker of heart failure (HF). Previous studies on RDW were mostly designed for middle-aged and elderly patients (60-79 years old), therefore, there is no established limit for super-elderly patients (≥80 years old). The purpose of this study was to evaluate RDW as an effective tool to detect fatal HF in super-elderly patients. Methods The medical records and death certificates of 160 consecutive patients admitted to the Department of Cardiology in Juntendo Tokyo Koto Geriatric Medical Center and who died from June 2002 to October 2010 were reviewed. The causes of death were reviewed, and the factors, including RDW, that might have been related to the fatal HF were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results HF was the major cause of death [52 patients (32.5%), 29 females, age 84.0±7.5 years], followed by pneumonia (18.8%, 30/160), and acute myocardial infarction (16.3%, 26/160). The most common cause of HF was atrial fibrillation (36.6%, 19/52), followed by hypertensive heart disease (19.2%, 10/52) and valvular disorders (17.3%, 9/52). The multivariate logistic regression analysis found that a high RDW (≥16.5%) was an independent factor related to fatal HF (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.10, 5.04, p=0.03). Conclusion HF was the major cause of death, and RDW ≥16.5 was significantly associated with fatal HF in super-elderly patients.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Relation between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and all-cause mortality at two years in an unselected population referred for coronary angiographyInternational Journal of Cardiology, 2010
- Red cell distribution width: an inexpensive and powerful prognostic marker in heart failureEuropean Journal of Heart Failure, 2009
- Red Blood Cell Distribution Width and the Risk of Death in Middle-aged and Older AdultsJAMA Internal Medicine, 2009
- Relation Between Red Blood Cell Distribution Width and Cardiovascular Event Rate in People With Coronary DiseaseCirculation, 2008
- Red Cell Distribution Width as a Novel Prognostic Marker in Heart Failure: Data From the CHARM Program and the Duke DatabankJournal of the American College of Cardiology, 2007
- Direct Comparison of Transcardiac Increase in Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) and N-Terminal ProBNP and Prognosis in Patients With Chronic Heart FailureCirculation Journal, 2007
- Anemia of Chronic DiseaseThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2005
- Changes in Brain Natriuretic Peptide and Norepinephrine Over Time and Mortality and Morbidity in the Valsartan Heart Failure Trial (Val-HeFT)Circulation, 2003
- The red blood cell distribution widthThe Journal of Emergency Medicine, 1991
- Effects of Enalapril on Mortality in Severe Congestive Heart FailureThe New England Journal of Medicine, 1987