Can Red Blood Cell Distribution Width be a Potential Marker in the Decision to Perform Tonsillectomy?

Objective: Tonsillectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures performed at ear, nose, and throat clinics. Chronic recurrent tonsillitis, obstructive tonsillitis, and halitosis are among the most common indications for surgery. Determining whether the infection is chronic and the patient's annual number of infections are important in estimating the necessity for surgery to be performed due to infectious causes. Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a numerical value present in normal complete blood count that provides information about erythrocytes and their dimensions. Studies in recent years have shown that RDW increases in chronic infections, hypoxia, and oxidative stress. This study investigated the changes in RDW in patients with chronic tonsillitis and the effect tonsillectomy has on this value by comparing RDW between patients scheduled for tonsillectomy and normal population and examining preoperative and postoperative changes in RDW.

Materials and Methods: Sixty-three patients scheduled for tonsillectomy due to recurrent tonsillitis aged 4-14 years were included in the study. The control group consisted of 60 subjects comparable in terms of age and sex. Hemoglobin level and RDW were recorded by collecting 2 mlof blood before surgery and at 4 months postoperatively from all patients.

Results: Preoperative RDW was significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group. Comparison of patients' preoperative and postoperative RDW revealed a significant decrease in RDW after surgery.

Conclusion: As a biomarker showing chronic infection in patients with tonsillitis, RDW can provide support to the clinician in deciding on surgery. However, this has to be confirmed in further studies with greater participation.