Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Red cell distribution width (RDW), a measure of the variability in size of circulating erytrocytes, has been reported to be a risk marker of morbidity and mortality for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, we have investigated the possible association between OSAS and RDW.
Material and Methods: We selected 30 mild, 32 moderate and 31 severe OSAS patients and 31 healthy control subjects matched for age, sex, and body mass index. RDW was measured by using an automated blood cell counter.
Results: The RDW values were significantly higher in patients with severe OSAS than in the control group (14.6±2.1 vs.13.2±2.4 %; p=0,03). There were no significant differences between controls and patients with mild and moderate OSAS (13.2±2.4 vs. 13.4±0.6 %; p=0,98; 13.2±2.4 vs. 14.0±2.4 %; p = 0.43) and between patients with mild, moderate and severe OSAS (13.4±0.6 vs. 14.0±2.4 vs. 14.6±2.1 %; p=0,67 for comparison of mild and moderate OSAS, p=0.08 for comparison of mild and severe OSAS, p=0.56 for comparison of moderate and severe OSAS) in respect to RDW. Additionally, significant correlation of RDW with parameters of sleep was noted. RDW was correlated with apnea-hypopnea index (r=0.264, p=0.01) and minimal oxygen saturation (r=-0,284, p=0.006).
Conclusions: RDW is a widely available diagnostic marker, routinely performed hemogram. In our study, we found that RDW was higher in the patients with OSAS compared with the control group. These results show that RDW is an important marker in terms of identifying the risk of atherosclerosis in patients with OSAS at an early stage.
Key Words: Complete Blood Count; Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome; Red Cell Distribution Width.
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