Relationship between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the red cell distribution width in patients with coronary artery disease

The red cell distribution width (RDW) is a numerical measurement of variability in the size of red blood cells. Many studies have shown that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), has an anti-inflammatory effect. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the serum HDL-C level and RDW in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients who underwent coronary angiography were reviewed. Patients who had moderate or severe heart failure, moderate or severe renal failure, significant systemic disease, anemia, a blood transfusion within the last 3 months, or a hematologic disease, as well as those who were taking lipid-lowering medication, were excluded from the study. The Gensini scoring system was used to determine the severity of CAD. Biochemical and hematological parameters were measured from venous blood samples taken after the patient fasted for at least 8 h. The RDW was routinely obtained from a hemogram. In total, 328 patients were included in the study. The patients were categorized according to quartiles. There were 80 patients in Quartile 1 (RDW