Aim: To investigate clinical and prognostic associations of red cell distribution width (RDW) in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the records of 3941 consecutive COVID-19 patients admitted to a tertiary-level institution from March 2020 to March 2021 who had available RDW on admission.
Results: The median age was 74 years. The median Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was 4. The majority of patients (84.1%) on admission presented with severe or critical COVID-19. Patients with higher RDW were significantly more likely to be older and female, to present earlier during infection, and to have higher comorbidity burden, worse functional status, and critical presentation of COVID-19 on admission. RDW was not significantly associated with C-reactive protein, occurrence of pneumonia, or need for oxygen supplementation on admission. During hospital stay, patients with higher RDW were significantly more likely to require high-flow oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit, and to experience prolonged immobilization, venous thromboembolism, bleeding, and bacterial sepsis. Thirty-day and post-hospital discharge mortality gradually increased with each rising RDW percent-point. In a series of multivariate Cox-regression models, RDW demonstrated robust prognostic properties at >14% cut-off level. This cut-off was associated with inferior 30-day and post-discharge survival independently of COVID-19 severity, age, and CCI; and with 30-day survival independently of COVID severity and established prognostic scores (CURB-65, 4C-mortality, COVID-gram and VACO-index).
Conclusion: RDW has a complex relationship with COVID-19-associated inflammatory state and is affected by prior comorbidities. RDW can improve the prognostication in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.