Red Cell Distribution Width Has a Negative Prognostic Role in Dogs with Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease

摘要

The red cell distribution width (RDW) is a simple and inexpensive laboratory parameter that reflects the difference in size of the red blood cells (also known as anisocytosis) and is conventionally used in a clinical setting for the differential diagnosis of anemias. Nonetheless, recent studies have demonstrated that anisocytosis is commonplace in many non-hematological human disorders and an increased RDW has been associated with a negative prognosis in patients with different cardiovascular diseases. In dogs, no studies have evaluated the prognostic role of RDW with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). The present study evaluates clinical, echocardiographic, and laboratory parameters, including RDW, with a cohort of dogs with MMVD and followed up on for more than one year. We sought to evaluate if RDW acts as an independent prognostic marker for negative outcomes in dogs with MMVD with or without concurrent non-cardiac diseases.