Caimi G, Carlisi M, Presti RL. Red Blood Cell Distribution Width, Erythrocyte Indices, and Elongation Index at Baseline in a Group of Trained Subjects.
J Clin Med 2023;
13:151. [PMID:
38202157 PMCID:
PMC10780127 DOI:
10.3390/jcm13010151]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Regular exercise elicits adaptive changes in several organs and physiological processes, including erythrocyte properties.
METHODS
In a group of 79 subjects (62 men and 17 women; mean age 31.37 ± 10.19 years) who trained several times a week as they practiced amateur sports, we evaluated the elongation index, markers of erythrocyte deformability, red blood cell distribution width (RDW), indicators of erythrocyte anisocytosis, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and the main erythrocyte indices (MCV, MCH, MCHC) in basal conditions.
RESULTS
In comparison with a group of healthy, but not training, volunteers, the values of the elongation index, and not the RDW, are increased, and this datum is accompanied by an increase in MCV and MCHC, likely related to an increased presence of circulating young erythrocytes in training subjects. We also divided the same group according to the median of the VO2max, observing that the subgroup above the median shows both an increase in the elongation index values and a decrease in MCH and MCHC.
CONCLUSIONS
In trained subjects, there is no correlation between the values of the elongation index and the RDW, while the interrelations among the elongation index, RDW, and main erythrocyte indices appear to be of particular interest and of a certain complexity.
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