Red Cell Distribution Width and Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients

BackgroundRed cell distribution width (RDW) is an index of red blood cell volume variability that has historically been used as a marker of iron deficiency anemia. More recently, studies have shown that elevated RDW is associated with higher mortality risk in the general population. However, there is lack of data demonstrating the association between RDW and mortality risk in hemodialysis (HD) patients. We hypothesized that higher RDW is associated with higher mortality in HD patients.Study designRetrospective observational study using a large HD patient cohort.Setting & participants109,675 adult maintenance HD patients treated in a large dialysis organization from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2011.PredictorBaseline and time-varying RDW, grouped into 5 categories: