RDW

[Bossywife]

So the past few months some of my husband's CBCs have gotten worse. WBC, Neutro, & Hemoglobin lower ... and RDW higher. "Higher" was weird to see on my spreadsheet. I rarely see anything in the "higher" colour (blue). (thanks again to the person who made the spreadsheet :) )

My husband works at a Cancer clinic and his doctor "friend" told him that RDW is not a big concern, that he needs to watch his MCV (which is currently fine). I know I should trust them and just move along, but seriously... why test RDW if it doesn't matter??

I think it's a conspiracy to weed out the crazy wives who overthink and try to decipher medical journals online in their spare time. ;)

I might need help.

[bailie]

My doctors focus on the platelets, WBCs, neutrophils and RBCs. I'm sure they look at the others but they very seldom come up in conversation.

[Neil Cuadra]

Here's my assumption: CBCs include a number of standard measurements, each of which matters to certain people in certain circumstances. If your husband had an unexplained low red count due to a vitamin deficiency, the RDW level might help identify it. With his present diagnosis, that's not relevant.

[maggiemag]

RDW means red cell distribution width. Marked variation in red cell size causes increased RDW and is common in MDS, also referred to as anisocytosis. My RDW runs about 26-27 (range 11.6-13.7), and nobody cares a hoot, so I don't either. You have to look at the whole package.

[DanL]

High RDW is used to identify possible vitamin deficiencies such as b12 or folate most commonly. It can also indicate hemolytic (destruction of cells) anemia, which is often present in MDS and other chronic diseases). I am going off of 25 year old memory, but I also believe that when marrow is under stress, it releases precursor red blood cells which are larger than fully mature cells, which can elevate RDW.