Can red cell distribution width and mean platelet volume be a marker in patients with asymptomatic gallstones?

INTRODUCTION: Gallstone disease (cholelithiasis) is one of the most common diseases of the digestive system. In the present study, we aimed to analyze the relationship of coincidentally encountered asymptomatic gallstones with red cell distribution width (RDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV) values investigated as the prognostic indicators for their use in the diagnosis and monitorization of the patients that developed gallstone-associated complications.
METHODS: In the present study, RDW, PLT, and MPV values of 255 asymptomatic patients with coincidentally detected gallstones in their gallbladders were compared with those of 109 healthy patients (control group) that applied to the check-up clinic between the years 2018 and 2020.
RESULTS: Mean RDW values of the patients with asymptomatic gallstones (mean RDW: 15.09, SD: 2.04) were found statistically significantly higher than those of the control group (mean RDW: 14.21, SD: 0.90) (p<0.001). In the same manner, also mean MPV values of the patients with asymptomatic gallstones (mean RDW: 7.87, SD: 1.40) were found statistically significantly higher than those of the control group (mean RDW: 7.38, SD: 1.06) (p<0.001).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated as a consequence that RDW and MPV values can be used in prediction of the patients with asymptomatic gallstones.