Obstructive jaundice in a rat model predisposes to bacterial translocation. This suggests a mechanism whereby jaundiced patients are susceptible to septic complication.

Background A systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is linked to red cell distribution width (RCDW), which produces pro-inflammatory signals that act directly on hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. This stimulation may cause alterations in the membrane of red blood cells (RBCs), as assessed by RCDW, which have been linked to increased morbidity and death in a number of systemic disorders. Aim This study aims to evaluate RCDW as a predictor of outcome in hospitalized cirrhotic patients. Methods This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 1000 patients. The outcome was assessed by days of hospitalization; mortality in hospitalized patients or during short-term follow-up (3 months) and rehospitalization during follow-up of 6 months. Results Male represented 69.6%. Mean age was 57.67 ± 13.07 years old. Baseline co-morbidities were recorded as the presence of diabetes mellitus (200 patients) and hypertension (400 patients). Hepatitis C virus was the commonest etiology of the diseased liver (90%). Child-Pugh classes A, B and C of studied patients represented (21.2%, 38.8% and 40%). The survived patients during follow-up represented 63.3%. Area under the curve for RCDW was 0.923 (95% CI, 0.904–0.943), 0.910 for C-reactive protein (95% CI, 0.890–0.930), 0.904 for Hb (95% CI, 0.883–0.925) and 0.903 for platelets (95% CI, 0.882–0.924). RCDW cutoff point at 21.35 for predicting survival had sensitivity 93%, specificity 91%, accuracy 92%, positive predictive value 85 and negative predictive value 96. Regression analysis revealed a significant positive association between both RCDW and white blood cells with mortality. Conclusion RCDW could provide useful information for predicting the length of hospitalization and survival in hospitalized cirrhotic patients.

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