Overview
Reactive monocytosis involves quantitative and morphological changes in monocytes in response to systemic inflammation or infection. Monocyte distribution width (MDW) is a hematologic biomarker used to assess these changes and aid in the early detection of sepsis in adult patients 1.Diagnosis
Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW): Utilized as a diagnostic marker for sepsis in adults, showing a pooled sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 68% 1.
Diagnostic Accuracy: MDW demonstrates an area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC) of 0.85 to 0.88, indicating high diagnostic utility for sepsis 1.
Comparative Performance: The diagnostic accuracy of MDW is comparable to traditional inflammatory markers, including procalcitonin and C-reactive protein (CRP) 1.Special Populations
Adults: The diagnostic utility of MDW for sepsis has been specifically validated in adult patient populations 1.Key Recommendations
Use monocyte distribution width (MDW) as a diagnostic tool to aid in the detection of sepsis in adult patients (Evidence: Strong) 1.
Consider MDW as a comparable alternative to procalcitonin or C-reactive protein (CRP) for sepsis screening, as diagnostic accuracies are similar (Evidence: Strong) 1.References
1 Huang YH, Chen CJ, Shao SC, Li CH, Hsiao CH, Niu KY et al.. Comparison of the Diagnostic Accuracies of Monocyte Distribution Width, Procalcitonin, and C-Reactive Protein for Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Critical care medicine 2023. link