Q: What does PDW 54% mean?

Answer: the PDW is a short form for the medical term “Platelet Distribution Width”, a lab index for measuring if the platelets are formed in the same size or they are different and show variation, the normal percentile of PDW is between 25% and 65%, any percentage inside these two limits is considered healthy platelet distribution.

If PDW is normal it’s not necessarily the whole platelets are normal neither in count nor shape (morphology) because both are different indices. Interpretation of the blood test results must be based on the whole screening results not on a single index.

Other platelet indices that measure the variability of count and shape include: platelet normal levels, meaning of PLT shortcut, high platelets high WBC

Also, normal PDW% will not show any sign like “H” or “L” beside the result.

The goal of PDW% estimation is to know if their is any disease that cause interruption on platelet normal sizes which including thrombosis and cancers.

Also, any normal PDW reading does not necessarily mean that all platelets are of the same size, in other words, it means that the PDW is not an optimal index that has sharp saying, instead, PDW% percentages present relative reading or average of the whole sizes of platelets in the sample given.