Relation Between Red Blood Cell Distribution Width and Cardiovascular Event Rate in People With Coronary Disease

Background— Higher levels of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) may be associated with adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure. We examined the association between RDW and the risk of all-cause mortality and adverse cardiovascular outcomes in a population of people with coronary disease who were free of heart failure at baseline. Methods and Results— We performed a post hoc analysis of data from the Cholesterol and Recurrent Events study. Baseline RDW was measured in 4111 participants who were randomized to receive pravastatin 40 mg daily or placebo and followed for a median of 59.7 months. We used Cox proportional hazards models to examine the association between RDW and adverse clinical outcomes. During nearly 60 months of follow-up, 376 participants died. A significant association was noted between baseline RDW level and the adjusted risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio per percent increase in RDW, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 1.24). After categorization based on quartile of...