Premium
Red blood cell distribution width is increased in patients with psoriasis vulgaris: A retrospective study on 261 patients
Author(s) -
Kim Das Suk,
Shin Dongyun,
Jee Hyunjoong,
Kim TaeGyun,
Kim Sung Hee,
Kim Do Young,
Kim Soo Min,
Lee MinGeol
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1346-8138
pISSN - 0385-2407
DOI - 10.1111/1346-8138.12865
Subject(s) - psoriasis , red blood cell distribution width , medicine , psoriasis area and severity index , logistic regression , gastroenterology , retrospective cohort study , spearman's rank correlation coefficient , rank correlation , severity of illness , disease , immunology , statistics , mathematics , machine learning , computer science
Circulating inflammatory cytokines and markers are increased in patients with psoriasis. Recent studies have shown that a higher red blood cell distribution width ( RDW ) is associated with disease activity in various disorders. Our objective was to investigate whether RDW is increased in psoriasis patients, and to evaluate its possible association with disease severity. We conducted a retrospective study of psoriasis patients seen in a university hospital in South Korea. Information about demographics, hematological parameters and disease severity were collected. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t ‐test, multivariable logistic regression, Fisher's exact test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient analysis as appropriate. A total of 261 psoriasis patients and 102 healthy controls were included in our study. The mean RDW value was significantly increased in psoriasis patients compared with healthy control ( P = 0.037). Compared with mild psoriasis patients (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index [ PASI ], <7), moderate to severe patients ( PASI , ≥7) showed significantly higher RDW values ( P = 0.044). However, RDW did not show significant correlation with PASI ( P = 0.358). When patients were divided into two groups according to their RDW value (<14.6% and ≥14.6%), the mean value of PASI was not significantly different ( P = 0.219). Patients with psoriasis showed increased RDW values compared with healthy controls. It was also higher in the moderate and severe disease group than the mild group. Though this is only a pilot study, it is possible that RDW value can reflect the inflammatory status of psoriasis patients.