Red blood cell distribution width: Genetic evidence for aging pathways in 116,666 volunteers

IntroductionVariability in red blood cell volumes (distribution width, RDW) increases with age and is strongly predictive of mortality, incident coronary heart disease and cancer. We investigated inherited genetic variation associated with RDW in 116,666 UK Biobank human volunteers.ResultsA large proportion RDW is explained by genetic variants (29%), especially in the older group (60+ year olds, 33.8%, GAS6, an eQTL in whole blood.ConclusionsAlthough increased RDW is predictive of cardiovascular outcomes, this was not explained by known CVD or related lipid genetic risks, and a RDW genetic score was not predictive of incident disease. The predictive value of RDW for a range of negative health outcomes may in part be due to variants influencing fundamental pathways of aging.