Association between Red blood cell distribution width and pulmonary function among Iranian employees.

RDW has been proposed as a routine test and is available as a prognosis for many diseases and disorders, especially respiratory disorders. In this study, we intend to see if the association between pulmonary function and RDW also applies to non-patients. This study was performed on 800 people including 466 women and 344 men. Participants in the study were staff enrolled in the Tehran University of Medical Sciences cohort [TEC] study. In this study, RDW levels and pulmonary function were assessed. Elderly populations were not included in this study The results of the univariate analysis showed that normal values versus abnormal values of RDW were significantly associated with pulmonary function index FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC in non-patient individuals. On the other hand, a significant correlation was observed between RDW values and FEV1 index and FEV1/FVC ratio. Based on linear regression, there was an association between RDW and FVC [R2=0.721]. In this study, we found an association between RDW and FVC so we suggest that abnormal RDW may consider as a sign of pulmonary dysfunction.