Red Blood Cell Distribution Width: A Novel Predictive Indicator for Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases

Table 1

Physiological conditions that lead to alteration of RDW values.

RDW values	Normal	Elevated
Decreased MCV	(i) Anemia of chronic disease; (ii) Hemoglobin E trait; (iii) Heterozygous thalassemia	(i) Iron deficiency; (ii) HbS/Beta thalassemia; (iii) Hemolytic anemia; (iv) Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia
Elevated MCV	(i) Chronic liver disease; (ii) Aplastic anemia; (iii) Chemotherapy/antivirals/alcohol	(i) Vitamin B12, folate deficiency; (ii) Immune hemolytic anemia; (iii) Hereditary spherocytosis
Normal MCV	(i) Anemia of chronic disease; (ii) Acute blood loss or hemolysis	(i) Early vitamin B12, folate deficiency; (ii) Sickle cell anemia; (iii) Transfusions; (iv) Chronic hepatobiliary disease