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Birth season predicts the values of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) in adulthood

  • Giuseppe Lippi ORCID logo EMAIL logo , Gian Luca Salvagno , Martina Montagnana , Elisa Danese and Gian Cesare Guidi
Published/Copyright: September 30, 2015
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Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)
From the journal Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM) Volume 54 Issue 4

Abstract

Background: Recent evidence suggests that red blood cell distribution width (RDW), a simple measure of anisocytosis, may predict the risk of adverse clinical outcomes in both the general population and in patients with severe pathologies. Since it was also shown that the birth season influences the lifetime disease risk, this study was aimed to investigate whether an association may exist between adult RDW values and birth season.

Methods: The study population consisted in healthy Caucasian blood donors aged 18 or older, undergoing routine laboratory testing before regular blood donation.

Results: Overall, 6122 healthy blood donors were included in this study (median age 41 years; 1807 women and 4315 men). Age, sex, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) but not hemoglobin and hematocrit were found to be independent predictors of RDW. When the study population was classified according to birth season, a significant difference was found for RDW values, but not for age, sex, hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV and MCH. Subjects born in spring exhibited RDW values generally higher compared to those born in other seasons, reaching statistical significance when compared to those born in summer and winter. In particular, subjects born in spring had a 33% (p=0.014) higher probability of displaying increased RDW values in adulthood compared to those with summer birth.

Conclusions: Despite additional studies that are needed to confirm these original findings, the evidence that a significant link exists between birth season and adult anisocytosis provides a plausible explanation for the association between birth season and lifetime disease risk.

Keywords: anisocytosis; birth season; mortality; red blood cell distribution width (RDW)
Corresponding author: Prof. Giuseppe Lippi, Clinical Biochemistry Section, Department of Neurological, Biomedical and Movement Sciences, University Hospital of Verona, Via delle Menegone, 37100, Verona, Italy, Phone: +0039-045-8124308, E-mail: , .

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Received: 2015-8-28
Accepted: 2015-9-2
Published Online: 2015-9-30
Published in Print: 2016-4-1

©2016 by De Gruyter

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https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2015-0829
Keywords for this article
anisocytosis; birth season; mortality; red blood cell distribution width (RDW)

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Editorial
  3. Macroprolactin: searching for a needle in a haystack?
  4. Review
  5. Laboratory medicine in the new healthcare environment
  6. Opinion Paper
  7. Developing GRADE outcome-based recommendations about diagnostic tests: a key role in laboratory medicine policies
  8. EFLM Survey
  9. Accreditation process in European countries – an EFLM survey
  10. Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics
  11. HB Puerta del Sol [HBA1:c.148A>C], HB Valdecilla [HBA2:c.3G>T], HB Gran Vía [HBA2:c.98T>G], HB Macarena [HBA2:c.358C>T] and HB El Retiro [HBA2:c.364_366dupGTG]: description of five new hemoglobinopathies
  12. General Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
  13. A candidate reference method using ICP-MS for sweat chloride quantification
  14. Quantification of hemoglobin A1c by off-line HPLC separation and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: a modification of the IFCC reference measurement procedure
  15. Comparison between B·R·A·H·M·S PCT direct, a new sensitive point-of-care testing device for rapid quantification of procalcitonin in emergency department patients and established reference methods – a prospective multinational trial
  16. Evaluation of a hand-held blood gas analyzer for rapid determination of blood gases, electrolytes and metabolites in intensive care setting
  17. Use of a faecal immunochemical test for haemoglobin can aid in the investigation of patients with lower abdominal symptoms
  18. A possible cause of the variable detectability of macroprolactin by different immunoassay systems
  19. A multicenter comparison of whole blood vitamin B6 assays
  20. Analytical and clinical performance of the new Fujirebio 25-OH vitamin D assay, a comparison with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and three other automated assays
  21. Development and validation of a 2nd tier test for identification of purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency patients during expanded newborn screening by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
  22. A cross-sectional study of biomarkers of exposure and effect in smokers and moist snuff consumers
  23. Reference Values and Biological Variations
  24. Pediatric reference value distributions and covariate-stratified reference intervals for 29 endocrine and special chemistry biomarkers on the Beckman Coulter Immunoassay Systems: a CALIPER study of healthy community children
  25. Development of reference intervals for serum alkaline phosphatase among adults in Southern China traced to the new IFCC reference measurement procedure
  26. Birth season predicts the values of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) in adulthood
  27. Cardiovascular Diseases
  28. Cardiovascular risk stratification in hemodialysis patients in the era of highly sensitive troponins: should we choose between hs-troponin I and hs-troponin T?
  29. A standardised FACS assay based on native, receptor transfected cells for the clinical diagnosis and monitoring of β1-adrenergic receptor autoantibodies in human heart disease
  30. Infectious Diseases
  31. The diagnostic value of serum fucosylated fetuin A in hepatitis B virus-related liver diseases
  32. Letters to the Editor
  33. Discriminant indices for distinguishing thalassemia and iron deficiency in patients with microcytic anemia
  34. Discriminant indices for distinguishing thalassemia and iron deficiency in patients with microcytic anemia: a reply
  35. STORE (Sample Tracking: Organization, Refrigeration and Expansion): a project in a clinical laboratory perspective
  36. Control materials for immunochromatographic strip used for α-thalassemia screening
  37. Comparison of a 10- vs. 15-min centrifugation time for chemical and immunochemical assays and impact on turnaround time in a hospital laboratory
  38. Pre-analytical phase in cryoglobulin (CRG) detection: an alternative method for sample transport
  39. The efficacy of an internet-based e-learning system using the CellaVision Competency Software for continuing professional development
  40. Clinical examinations after the Fukushima disaster: a case report of Soma General Hospital
  41. Non-fasting plasma glucose concentration in blood donors
  42. Analytical evaluation of a second generation assay for chromogranin A; a dual-site study
  43. UBE3A, c.1347_1348delGA: a mutation in question
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