ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Pulmonary Medicine
Correlation between Anemia-Related Red Blood Cell Parameters and Pulmonary Function Severity in Patients with AECOPD
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Suzhou First People's Hospital, Suzhou, China
- 2Department of Basic Medicine, Fuzhou Medical College, Fuzhou, China
- 3Department of Respiratory Medicine, Suzhou First People's Hospital, Suzhou, China
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Aim: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anemia and the correlation between specific red blood cell (RBC) parameters - particularly red cell distribution width (RDW) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) - and pulmonary function severity in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). Methods: A retrospective, single-center cohort study was conducted involving 120 hospitalized AECOPD patients. Participants were stratified by lung function grade (GOLD 1-4) and anemia status. Data on demographics, RBC parameters (Hb, RDW, MCH, MCV), and clinical outcomes were collected. Statistical analyses included correlation tests, ROC curve analysis, multivariate logistic regression, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Results: The overall anemia prevalence was 26.7%, increasing significantly with lung function severity, exceeding 50% in GOLD grade IV. RDW exhibited a significant negative correlation with FEV1%pred (r = -0.418, P<0.001), while MCH showed a positive correlation (r = 0.391, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis identified decreased Hb and elevated RDW as independent factors associated with severe lung impairment (Grades III–IV). The anemia group had significantly longer hospital stays, and patients with high RDW levels demonstrated significantly reduced survival. Conclusion: Anemia is highly prevalent in AECOPD and is closely but moderately associated with disease severity. RDW and MCH are indicators that show independent
Keywords: Anemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Lung function, mean corpuscular hemoglobi, prognosis, Red cell distribution width
Received: 22 Dec 2025; Accepted: 13 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Dou, Qiao, Zhang, Cai, Meng, Wei, Cui, Shao and Lv. 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: Lei Lv
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