“…In our study, several potential factors that could influence the association between RDW and hypertension were carefully selected. These covariates include: Age (years), Gender (male/female),Race (Mexican American/ Other Race /Non-Hispanic White/Non-Hispanic Black),Body Mass Index (BMI, kg/m²),Waist circumference, Education level(≤11th Grade, High School, College, College above), Family poverty income ratio (PIR),Smoking status(Yes/No), Alcohol use; Presence of chronic conditions: Chronic congestive heart failure, Coronary heart disease(Angina pectoris, Heart attack), Stroke, Weak/failing kidneys, Diabetes, Chronic bronchitis, Emphysema, Thyroid disease; laboratory parameters: White blood cell count (1000 cells/uL), Lymphocyte number (1000 cells/uL), Red blood cell count (million cells/uL), Hemoglobin (g/dL), Hematocrit (%), Red cell distribution width (%), Platelet count (1000 cells/uL), Mean platelet volume (fL), Blood Urea Nitrogen (mmol/L), Total Calcium (mmol/L), Serum Cholesterol (mmol/L), Creatinine (umol/L), Glucose (mmol/L), Triglycerides (mmol/L), Uric acid (umol/L), Sodium (mmol/L), Potassium (mmol/L), LDL-cholesterol (mg/dL), HDL-cholesterol (mg/dL) [ 18 , 19 ]. These covariates were chosen to comprehensively account for potential confounding factors and ensure a robust analysis of the association between RDW and hypertension in our study.…”