Red blood cell distribution width in patients with cryptogenic stroke

Background: There is no information about a possible association of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) with cryptogenic stroke (CS). We aimed to analyze the association of RDW with CS.

Patients and methods: One hundred and sixty-three patients with CS were included along with 186 healthy controls. Fibrinogen, leukocytes, hemoglobin, and erythrocyte indices were evaluated.

Results: Patients showed higher RDW, leukocyte count, and body mass index (BMI) than controls (P < .05). No differences were observed in the erythrocyte indices or in glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides levels (P > .05). When patients with anemia were excluded from the study (6 controls and 5 cases), the differences between cases and controls persisted (P = .005). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that, after adjusting for potential confounders (anemia, age > 40 years, gender, and fibrinogen >382 mg/dL, total cholesterol >240 mg/dL, and BMI > 28.7 kg/m(2)), RDW >14% was the only parameter that independently increased the risk of CS.

Conclusion: The RDW >14% increased the risk of CS by 2.5-fold, irrespectively of anemia, inflammation, and lipidic profile.