JIST

Abstract

Organophosphorus (OP) and carbamate (CM) insecticides are among the most toxic of pesticides that cause poisoning in humans, and are the most frequently encountered insecticides in India. They are inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase, OPs acting by irreversibly phosphorylating the enzyme, while CMs reversibly carbamylate it.

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a measure of the variability in size of circulating erythrocytes. It is routinely reported as part of a complete blood count, but its use is generally restricted to narrowing the differential diagnosis of anaemia. Elevated RDW might indicate impaired production or

increased destruction of red blood cells, which may reflect unfavourable physiologic conditions that may lead to adverse clinical outcomes. It is well known that RDW levels are affected by various conditions such as erythropoietin stress - during iron, vitamin B12, and folate deficiencies, oxidative stress, thrombocytopenia and inflammatory diseases.

The objective of this study was to explore the possibility of RDW being used as a predictor of mortality in cases of OP and CM poisoning in a South Indian population, free of any pre-existing disease, which may confound the RDW.