The significance of the red blood cell distribution width to serum calcium ratio in predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis patients

Abstract

Objective: Although serum calcium (Ca) and erythrocyte distribution width (RDW) can be used to predict the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP), their sensitivity and specificity are limited. The goal of this study is to see how well the serum calcium ratio of RDW, which may be measured at presentation, predicts the severity of AP in patients with AP. Materials and methods: AP patients admitted to a tertiary hospital's Emergency Department between 14 February 2021 and 14 February 2022 were screened retrospectively. According to the 2012 Atlanta classification guidelines, AP severity was classified as mild acute pancreatitis (MAP), moderate acute pancreatitis (MSAP), and severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). During admittance to the emergency department, vital signs, laboratory exams, and imaging findings were gathered from the database. Results: This study comprised 384 AP patients, including 166 males (56.8%), 239 patients with MAP, and 145 patients with MSAP or SAP. The mean RDW/Ca changes considerably according to pancreatitis severity (p