Prognostic Accuracy of Red Blood Cell Distribution Width in Predicting Mortality Among Acute Pancreatitis Patients: A systematic review and hierarchical bivariate meta-analysis

Authors

M.S. Deepthy, Women’s & Children’s Health Research Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Belagavi, Karnataka, India
K.T. Harichandrakumar, Department of Biostatistics, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
Kalesh M. Karun, Department of Health Research, ICMR-National Institute of Traditional Medicine, Belagavi, Karnataka, India
Tamilarasu Kadhiravan, Department of Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
N. S. Nair, Department of Biostatistics, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, IndiaFollow

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis (AP), often requiring hospitalisation, is mild in most cases but severe in approximately 20% of cases. Early severity and mortality risk identification are crucial. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the prognostic utility of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) for predicting mortality in AP. A comprehensive literature search from 1990 to 2023 was conducted across MEDLINE, SCOPUS and ScienceDirect databases along with Google Scholar. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the Quality in Prognostic Studies tool. Prognostic accuracy measures were pooled using a bivariate random-effects meta-analysis model, and hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed. Of the 1,207 studies identified, 20 were used for quantitative synthesis. The pooled sensitivity and specificity for mortality prediction were 87% and 81%, with an area under the summary ROC curve of 0.90. These findings highlight RDW’s potential as a promising biomarker for mortality prediction in AP.

Publication Date

6-13-2025

First Page

521

Last Page

530

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Deepthy, M.S.; Harichandrakumar, K.T.; Karun, Kalesh M.; Kadhiravan, Tamilarasu; and Nair, N. S. (2025) "Prognostic Accuracy of Red Blood Cell Distribution Width in Predicting Mortality Among Acute Pancreatitis Patients: A systematic review and hierarchical bivariate meta-analysis," Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal: Vol. 25: 521-530.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18295/2075-0528.2865