Reply to Yaman et al.'s Red cell distribution width and coronary artery disease

Abstract 

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW), a numerical measure of the variability in size of circulating erythrocytes, has recently been shown to be a strong predictor of adverse outcomes in a variety of patient populations, including those with known or suspected coronary artery disease. In this reply, we provide data as to why it is highly unlikely that the association between RDW and mortality is related to, or confounded by, nutritional deficiencies and/or other hematologic coefficients. We make the case that elevated RDW is indeed an independent predictor of poor outcomes.

Keywords: RDW, Prognosis, Biomarker, Mortality, Coronary artery disease, Anemia