Red Cell Distribution Width and Fall Events in Older Adults

Abstract

Purpose: Red-blood cell distribution width (RDW) has been associated with negative outcomes including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, pancreatitis, liver disease, and poor pulmonary function. These diseases have also been associated with fall events in older adults. RDW is strongly associated with morbidity and mortality. This study aims to investigate the association between RDW and fall events, and the association between RDW and correlates of falls (weight, BMI, polypharmacy, vision impairment, mobility impairment, facility falls risk assessment scores) in cross-sectional and longitudinal measures in older adults. Methods: The retrospective medical review included 92 older adults living in a nursing home for ≥1 year. Data was gathered from electronic and paper records on anthropometrics, functional status, fall history, diagnoses, medications, and laboratory values. Data collection points were divided into four quarterly time points for one year of data. Mono- and multivariate logistic regression were performed to assess correlates of falls. Results: RDW ranged from 12.0 to 25.2% with an intra-subject variance of 1.01 ± 1.49%. Subjects in the highest quintile of weight had a statistically significant higher mean RDW than did those in the lower four quartiles (P = 0.02). The mean RDW values of subjects with a mean facility falls score of ≤18 was significantly different from those >18 points (P = 0.03). An inverse relationship was observed between mean RDW and the total number of falls experienced by subjects. Total falls experienced by subjects during the one-year review period ranged from 0 to 13 falls with 38 (41.3%) of subjects experiencing a fall during the period. None of the odds ratios for variables included in mono- or multivariate logistic regression analysis were significant according to 95% confidence intervals. Conclusion: RDW is not associated with falls or most correlates of falls in facility-dwelling older adults.