The following is a summary of “Red blood cell distribution width as a predictor of mortality and poor functional outcome after acute ischemic stroke: a meta-analysis and meta-regression,” published in the April 2024 issue of Neurology by Shen et al.
Researchers started a retrospective study to assess whether red blood cell distribution width (RDW) predicts mortality and poor function in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).
Researchers started a retrospective study to assess whether RDW can predict mortality and poor functional outcomes in patients with AIS.
They conducted online searches on PubMed, CENTRAL, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science databases (July 25, 2023) for studies reporting the association between RDW and outcomes as adjusted ratios. Random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression were performed utilizing multiple moderators.
The results showed that 15 studies with 14,968 patients were included. Meta-analysis revealed that RDW, both as a categorical variable (OR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.74-2.55, I2 = 42%) and continuous variable (OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.05-1.28, I2 = 64%), significantly predicted mortality after AIS. Age and number of hypertensives emerged as significant moderators in the meta-regression. Additionally, high RDW, as a categorical variable (OR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.20-2.35, I2 = 84%), showed notably higher odds of poor functional outcomes after AIS, but not as a continuous variable (OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.99-1.16, I2= 61%). Meta-regression indicated a stronger association in small sample-sized studies.
Investigators concluded that RDW showed promise as a quick and affordable tool to identify patients with AIS at high risk of death.
Source: bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12883-024-03610-6
