Today I went for CBC Test. All the report are normal except red cell distribution width (RDW). My report says 16.40 and normal range is 11.5-14.5. What should I d next? Is this is a subject of Worry? Please help me doctors.

Dr. Himani NegiHomeopath5yrs exp

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RDW is useful in the following conditions:� 1.Elevated RDW helps provide a clue for a diagnosis of early nutritional deficiency such as iron, folate, or vitamin B12 deficency as it becomes elevated earlier than other red blood cell parameters. 2.It aids in distinguishing between uncomplicated�iron deficiency anemia�(elevated RDW, normal to low MCV) and uncomplicated heterozygous thalassemia (normal RDW, low MCV); however, definitive tests are required.� 3.It can also help distinguish between�megaloblastic anemia�such as folate or vitamin B12 deficiency anemia (elevated RDW) and other causes of macrocytosis (often normal RDW). 4.RDW can be used as a guidance for flagging samples that may need manual peripheral blood smear examination, since elevated RDW may indicate red cell fragmentation, agglutination, or dimorphic red blood cell populations. 

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Dr. Sajeev KumarGeneral Physician32yrs exp

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The RDW-CV is a calculation based on both the width of the distribution curve and the mean cell size. It is calculated by dividing the standard deviation of the mean cell size by the MCV of the red cells and multiplying by 100 to convert to a percentage. A normal range for the RDW-CV is approximately 11.0 - 15.0%. When RDW levels are high but MCV levels are not, the cause is more likely iron-deficiency anemia. In iron-deficiency anemia, a lack of iron in the blood causes a decrease in hemoglobin, which is the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen. YOu have to explain the full result.  

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