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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2024.1488731

Association of Red Cell Distribution Width-Coefficient of Variation with Cranial Ultrasound Abnormalities in Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Provisionally accepted
Hongjuan Wei Hongjuan Wei *Xin Chang Xin Chang Jin Wang Jin Wang *
  • Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia frequently leads to severe neurological damage. Although cranial ultrasound (CUS) is crucial for assessing neonatal brain injury, the association between red cell distribution width-coefficient of variation (RDW-CV), a marker of red blood cell size variability, and cranial ultrasound abnormalities (CUAs) remains unclear. Objective: The primary aim of this study was to explore the impact of RDW-CV on CUAs in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and to elucidate the potential clinical implications of this relationship. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 503 cases of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia at gestational age ≥35 weeks with available RDW-CV and CUS screening data at Nanjing Lishui People’s Hospital. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and smooth curve fitting were used to estimate the association between RDW-CV and the risk of CUAs in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Results: This study found that the overall prevalence of CUAs in ultrasound images was 26.0%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for risk factors revealed that a one-percent increase in RDW-CV increased the risk of CUAs by 23.0%. After conducting a sensitivity analysis of the three RDW-CV quantiles, the findings remained robust and consistent. Conclusions: The study concluded that a higher RDW-CV was associated with a proportional increase in the risk of CUAs. These results demonstrate the importance of RDW-CV in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Clinicians should consider this association when managing patients with high RDW-CV.

    Keywords: Red cell distribution width, Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia, Ultrasonography, neuroimaging Abbreviations CUS, Cranial ultrasonography, CUAs, Cranial ultrasound abnormalities, NJLSPH, Nanjing Lishui People's Hospital, ChiCTR, Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Center

    Received: 30 Aug 2024; Accepted: 30 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wei, Chang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Hongjuan Wei, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
    Jin Wang, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.