Abstract: Objective  To explore the  correlation of platelet distribution width (PDW) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) with atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with coronary artery  disease (CAD).Methods  A total of 149 patients with CAD and AF in the Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical University  from January 2012 to December 2013 were selected as case group. During the same period of admission,  149 patients with CAD but without AF were selected as the control group. The auxiliary diagnosis and prediction value of PDW and RDW for AF in CAD patients were respectively analyzed through diagnostic tests and binary logistic multiple factors regression model. Results  The area under the curve(AUC) of the PDW and RDW  for AF in CAD patients was 0.612(95%CI 0.5840.616) and 0.684(95%CI 0.6240.744),  respectively (both P＜0.01). The optimal diagnostic threshold of PDW was 13.5%,  and the sensitivity,  specificity,  positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 0.426, 0.770,  0.653 and 0.575,  respectively. The optimal diagnostic threshold of RDW was also 13.5%,  and the sensitivity,  specificity,  positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 0.631,  0.651,  0.646 and 0.642,  respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that PDW>13.5%  and RDW≥13.5%  were new independent risk factors for CAD combined with AF (both P<0.05). Conclusion  The elevation of PDW and RDW in peripheral blood is an independent risk factor for AF in CAD patients,  and it is expected to be a novel and reliable clinical laboratory biomarker for AF prediction in CAD patients.

Key words: blood platelets, erythrocytes, , abnormal, coronary disease, atrial fibrillation