Anemia and Red Blood Cell Distribution Width (RDW)

What is RDW?

RDW stands for Red blood cells Distribution Width or erythrocyte distribution amplitude and measures the variation in red blood cell sizes. RDW-CV is a calculation based on the width of the distribution curve and the mean corpuscular volume (MCV).

RDW and Anemia

A low RDW-SD may indicate a medical condition such as vitamin B12 deficiency anemia or iron deficiency anemia. This is because these conditions can lead to a decrease in the production of red blood cells, resulting in a narrower distribution of red blood cell sizes.