Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a numerical measure of the size variability of circulating erythrocytes and is routinely reported as a component of complete blood count in the differential diagnosis of anemia.
RDW has been recently reported to be a strong and independent predictor of adverse outcomes in the general population.
High RDW might also reflect a general inflammatory state causing ineffective erythropoiesis in addition to vascular disease progression
High RDW among the photocopier operators may be due to chronic photocopier exposure and reflect their inflammatory state.