PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Kemal Can Tertemiz
AU  - Aylin Ozgen Alpaydin
AU  - Seda Salman
AU  - Begum Ergan
AU  - Arif Hikmet Cimrin
TI  - Can red blood cell morphology be an indicator for COPD exacerbations?
DP  - 2014 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P573
VI  - 44
IP  - Suppl 58
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P573.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P573.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2014 Sep 01; 44
AB  - Introduction: RDW is a laboratory parameter showing red blood cell distribution width. RDW can be effected by systemic inflammation. Recent papers showed that RDW could have a relationship between prognosis and mortality in cardiac diseases. We investigated the usability of RDW as an indicator for COPD exacerbations.Method: We have analysed 100 in patients diagnosed as COPD according to GOLD guideline and COPD exacerbation according to Antonissen criteria. Annual exacerbations, CRP, RDW and blood gase analyses were evaluated in all patients.Results: Mean age was 70 years, median hospitalisation duration was 12(3-76)days and median annual exacerbation rate was zero(0-7). We have seen that discharging CRP, pCO2, PaO2 and oxygen saturations were improved significantly with respect to interning values (p<0.001). Discharging RDW levels were found higher than interning values (p=0,004). The relationship between RDW and Antonissen criterias, annual exacerbation rates, criticaly care requirement, mortality, CRP, pCO2, PaO2 and oxygen saturations were not statisticaly significant. RDW levels were significantly higher in exacerbations compared with stable period (p<0,05).Conclusion: We have seen that RDW levels were significantly higher in COPD exacerbations compared with stable period and were elevated during the hospitalisation. This increase shows that RDW is effected like other inflamamtory markers in COPD exacerbations. Unfortunately RDW is inadequate to show criticaly care requirement and mortality prediction.