• Gulcin Bozlu, Hakan Taskinlar, Selma Unal, Mehmet Alakaya, Ali Nayci, and Necdet Kuyucu.
• Department of Pediatrics, University of Mersin Faculty of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey.
• Pediatr Int. 2016 Mar 1; 58 (3): 202-5.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) in children with acute appendicitis.MethodsIn this retrospective study, a total of 344 children aged ≤18 years with clinically suspected acute appendicitis who underwent appendectomy between January 2007 and January 2014 were reviewed, and 200 healthy controls of the same age group were included. Based on histopathology, the patients were classified as having normal appendix, simple or perforated appendicitis, and preoperative white blood cell count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP) and RDW were compared.ResultsCompared with the controls, mean WBC, CRP and RDW were significantly higher in the appendectomy group (P <0.001). The children with simple or perforated appendicitis had significantly higher WBC, CRP and RDW than did those with normal appendix (P <0.001). Mean WBC and CRP were significantly higher in the children with perforated appendicitis (P <0.001), but no statistically significant difference was found in RDW between the simple and perforated appendicitis groups (P = 0.081).ConclusionsChildren with histologically proven acute appendicitis have higher RDW than children without appendicitis, but the diagnostic value of RDW was not superior to WBC or CRP in children with acute appendicitis. Although higher RDW may be valuable for aiding the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children, it is not a useful marker for predicting perforated appendicitis.© 2015 Japan Pediatric Society.

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