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What is RDW (Red Cell Distribution Width) in a Blood Test?

What Is RDW in a Blood Test?

Why Is the RDW Count Needed?

When Should I Get the RDW Test?

What is the Procedure for the RDW Test?

How Should You Prepare for the RDW Test?

How to Measure RDW Count in Blood Test?

How to Read Results of RDW in a Blood Test?

What Is a Normal RDW Count Range?

Now, you must be curious to know the normal range of RDW in a blood test. Most people consider an RDW count of 12%-15% normal and healthy. This percentage represents the amount of RBC count in the given blood sample. If your result displays this percentage, you are under no threat of having a blood-related disorder. However, you might need other medical tests to prove it further.

Here's a table with the parameters for the normal range of RDW based on age

S. No. Normal Range (RDW) Age
1 11.5% - 14.5% Adults (male and female)
2 12.0% - 15.5% Children (1-18 years)
3 12.5% - 16.5% Infants (up to 1 year)

Symptoms of High RDW

When RDW is high, it reflects variability in the size of red blood cells, which may be linked to various health conditions and indicates a possibility of potential issues like anaemia or nutritional deficiencies.

Symptom Description
Fatigue This often occurs when the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood is reduced, leading to persistent tiredness and lack of energy.
Dizziness It might result from low oxygen levels; thus, frequent lightheadedness or feeling faint may occur due to poor blood flow.
Shortness of Breath During physical activities, breathing can become difficult as the efficacy of red blood cells decreases, leading to reduced oxygen transport.
Pale Skin You can tell if someone has fewer red blood cells in their body by looking at them as they always have lighter skin tone than normal people.
Chest Pain With the heart working harder to supply oxygen all over the body, one will feel discomfort or pain in the chest.
Headaches Headaches can be caused by decreased oxygen reaching the brain, resulting in frequent or severe symptoms.
Rapid Heartbeat An increased pulse rate would attempt to compensate for the lower oxygen concentration in the body, trying to deliver more oxygen.
Cold Hands and Feet These extremities become cold occasionally due to ineffectiveness in circulation and poor oxygen levels.
Cognitive Impairment Trouble with memory, thinking straight, or loss of ability to know what is going on because there is not enough oxygen flowing through the brains
Weakness When muscles do not receive enough O2, they are vulnerable to generalised weakness and muscle fatigue.

What Does It Mean If Your RDW Count Is High?

What are the Causes of High RDW?

If your blood test-generated RDW count is higher than 15%, it means your RDW count is high. The following types of anaemia can cause a high RDW count.

Condition Description
Iron-deficiency Anaemia Iron deficiency leads to small and abnormal red blood cells, which in turn leads to increased RDW caused by variations in cell size resulting from low iron.
Macrocytic Anaemia This increase in RDW is often attributed to deficiencies in vitamin B12 or folate, which lead to the production of larger red blood cells, known as 'macrocytic'.
Microcytic Anaemia Iron deficiency or thalassemia can cause smaller RBCs. Consequently, there is an increase in the RDW because of differences in the sizes of RBCs that have reduced in size.
Haemolytic Anaemia It triggers premature lysis of red blood cells that stimulates the rapid production of new ones. This causes high RDW due to variations in the sizes of these cells.

Symptoms of Low RDW

Low red cell distribution width in the blood doesn't directly cause problems, but related conditions can impact your health. Here are a few symptoms of low RDW:

Symptom Description
Fatigue Chronic fatigue and low energy may be related to diminished oxygen-carrying capacity by blood cells.
Weakness Generalised weakness, making it hard to perform regular activities due to inadequate amount of red blood cells
Paleness Skin paleness denotes a shortage of haemoglobin or a decreased number of red blood cells that affects skin pigmentation.
Dizziness Dizziness and fainting are usually occasioned by reduced oxygen flow to the brain because there is not enough RCB.
Shortness of Breath Low oxygen levels in the blood that mostly cause breathing difficulties or shortness of breath.
Cold Hands and Feet A chill is experienced on the extremities due to poor circulation and reduced oxygen delivery to the hands and feet.
Headaches Regular or severe headaches occur when there is a reduced supply of oxygen to the brain due to anaemia.

What Does It Mean If Your RDW Count Is Low?

What are the Causes of Low RDW?

Low RDW levels indicate that red blood cells are of similar size. This can be connected with various health problems. The following are common causes of low RDW:

Cause Description
Chronic Diseases Routinely, red blood cells are uniform in size due to conditions such as chronic liver disease, Crohn’s disease, diabetes, or HIV.
Nutritional Deficiencies Lack of important nutrients, especially iron or vitamin B12, may cause equal size of RBCs, leading to low RDW.
Bone Marrow Disorders Thalassemia and other disorders affecting haemoglobin production can produce RBCs whose sizes appear almost alike.
Blood Disorders For instance, macrocytic anaemia and microcytic anaemia lead to erythrocytes with uniform sizes, thus causing low RDW values.

Thus, as you can see, RDW in a blood test can be essential to understanding the condition and functions of RBCs in the human body. However, high RDW means these cells are not uniform, resulting in future complications. Thus, if your RDW count is higher than normal, take proper consultations with healthcare professionals and avoid future diseases.

What Steps to Take When RDW in Blood Test Is High or Low?

FAQs about RDW in Blood Tests