Red blood cell distribution width and its clinical significance in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation

Objective To investigate the changes of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and its clinical significance in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods Our study enrolled 133 patients with paroxysmal AF and 101 subjects as control matched for sex, age and atherosclerotic risk factors. Sex, age, previous medical history, laboratory parameters, and echocardiography were analyzed between the patients with AF and controls. Results There were no significant differences in sex, age and comorbidities between the two groups. The level of RDW in AF group was significantly higher than that in control group (12.71%±0.90% vs. 12.45%±0.62%, t=-2.457, P=0.015). Compared with the control group, left atrial diameter (LAD) was increased [(38.79±7.07) mm vs. (34.46±4.51) mm, t=-5.405, P<0.001] and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was decreased (58.90%±7.62% vs. 61.52%±5.13%, t=2.957, P=0.003) in AF group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that RDW was an independent predictor for paroxysmal AF (OR: 1.626, P=0.044). Conclusions Paroxysmal AF has higher level of RDW compared with controls, and RDW is an independent predictor for paroxysmal AF.