Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Jul 16, 2024; 12(20): 4452-4454
Published online Jul 16, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i20.4452
Enhancing predictive accuracy in hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis: Role of red cell distribution width and prospective studies
Shi-Yan Zhang
Shi-Yan Zhang, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fuding Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuding 355200, Fujian Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang SY wrote and edited the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Shi-Yan Zhang, MD, Director, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fuding Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 120 South Road of Old City, Fuding 355200, Fujian Province, China. myebox@139.com
Received: April 14, 2024
Revised: May 15, 2024
Accepted: May 30, 2024
Published online: July 16, 2024
Processing time: 78 Days and 3.3 Hours
Abstract

This letter addresses the study titled “Red cell distribution width: A predictor of the severity of hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis” by Lv et al published in the World Journal of Experimental Medicine. The study offers a valuable analysis of red cell distribution width (RDW) as a predictive marker for persistent organ failure in patients with hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis. The study results suggest that RDW, combined with the Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis score, could enhance the predictive accuracy for severe outcomes. Further investigation into the role of RDW in different severities of acute pancreatitis is recommended. Additionally, the need for large-scale and multicenter prospective studies to validate these findings is emphasized.

Keywords: Red cell distribution width; Hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis; Persistent organ failure; Predictive marker; Letter to the Editor; Commentary

Core Tip: This letter discusses the study by Lv et al, which demonstrated that red cell distribution width (RDW) is a promising predictor of persistent organ failure in patients with hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis. The integration of RDW with the Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis score potentially enhances the predictive accuracy for severe outcomes. The letter also suggests including 95% confidence intervals to improve data interpretability. Further research across patients with different types of pancreatitis is recommended, and prospective studies are needed to validate and standardize the clinical use of RDW.