International Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Research
2026, Volume-7, Issue 1 : 1390-1394
Research Article
Association of Red Cell Distribution Width with Major Adverse Cardiac Events in Non–ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome
 ,
 ,
 ,
 ,
1
Assistant Professor, Department of General Medicine, PCMC’s Postgraduate Institute and YCM Hospital, Pimpri, Pune
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics, PCMC’s Postgraduate Institute and YCM Hospital, Pimpri, Pune
3
Professor, Department of General Medicine, PCMC’s Postgraduate Institute and YCM Hospital, Pimpri, Pune
4
Medical Officer, Department of General Medicine, PCMC’s Postgraduate Institute and YCM Hospital, Pimpri, Pune
5
Academic Coordinator, Dr. D. Y. Patil School of Allied Health Sciences, Pimpri, Pune
Received
Jan. 7, 2026
Accepted
Jan. 25, 2026
Published
Feb. 7, 2026
Abstract

Introduction: Red cell distribution width (RDW), routinely reported in the complete blood count, reflects erythrocyte size variability. Although traditionally used in anemia evaluation, elevated RDW has been increasingly linked to cardiovascular morbidity, heart failure, and mortality. Proposed mechanisms include chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, impaired erythropoiesis, and reduced red cell deformability. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) without ST-segment elevation—comprising unstable angina (UA) and non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)—is a major cause of cardiovascular disease, making early risk assessment essential. RDW has emerged as a simple and widely accessible prognostic marker in ACS. This study assesses the prognostic significance of RDW in UA and NSTEMI. Methodology: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted over 18 months among adults diagnosed with UA or NSTEMI. Patients with anemia, chronic kidney disease, malignancy, hemoglobinopathies, COPD, pregnancy, recent transfusion, or STEMI were excluded. RDW and clinical parameters were recorded at admission, and patients were categorized into increased (>14%) and normal RDW groups. All participants were monitored for major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including heart failure, arrhythmias, cardiogenic shock, and in-hospital mortality. Chi-square tests were applied, with significance set at p <0.05. Results: Of the 260 patients enrolled, 58.1% had elevated RDW. MACE occurred in 20.4% of the study population, with significantly higher prevalence among those with increased RDW (71.7% vs. 28.3%, p = 0.024). Elevated RDW was strongly associated with diabetes (p <0.001) and showed borderline significance with hypertension (p = 0.05). Conclusion: RDW is an inexpensive and effective prognostic indicator in UA/NSTEMI, showing significant associations with adverse outcomes and cardiovascular risk factors. Its routine use may improve early risk stratification and clinical decision-making

Keywords
Recommended Articles
Research Article Open Access
Prevalence of Rifampicin resistance detected by TrueNat assay in suspected pulmonary cases in a teritiary care hospital, Kurnool
2026, Volume-7, Issue 1 : 2492-2496
Research Article Open Access
Comparative Analgesic Efficacy of Intrathecal Fentanyl versus Intrathecal Midazolam as Adjuvants to Hyperbaric Bupivacaine for Elective Caesarean Section: A Randomized Double-Blinded Clinical Trial
2026, Volume-7, Issue 1 : 2477-2484
Research Article Open Access
Study of prevalence of haemoglobin subtypes/variants in the ethnic population of Manipur
2026, Volume-7, Issue 1 : 2497-2500
Research Article Open Access
Cancer Pattern at a Tertiary Care hospital in Pir Panjal (Rajouri & Poonch) region of Jammu and Kashmir
2026, Volume-7, Issue 1 : 2485-2491
International Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Research journal thumbnail
Volume-7, Issue 1
Citations
45 Views
30 Downloads
Share this article
License
Copyright (c) International Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Research
Creative Commons Attribution License Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All papers should be submitted electronically. All submitted manuscripts must be original work that is not under submission at another journal or under consideration for publication in another form, such as a monograph or chapter of a book. Authors of submitted papers are obligated not to submit their paper for publication elsewhere until an editorial decision is rendered on their submission. Further, authors of accepted papers are prohibited from publishing the results in other publications that appear before the paper is published in the Journal unless they receive approval for doing so from the Editor-In-Chief.
IJMPR open access articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This license lets the audience to give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made and if they remix, transform, or build upon the material, they must distribute contributions under the same license as the original.
Logo
International Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Research
About Us
The International Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Research (IJMPR) is an EMBASE (Elsevier)–indexed, open-access journal for high-quality medical, pharmaceutical, and clinical research.
Follow Us
facebook twitter linkedin mendeley research-gate
© Copyright | International Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Research | All Rights Reserved