Red blood cell distribution width to albumin ratio associates with prevalence and long-term diabetes mellitus prognosis: an overview of NHANES 1999-2020 data.

Background: Erythrocyte dysfunction is a characteristic of diabetes mellitus (DM). However, erythrocyte-associated biomarkers do not adequately explain the high prevalence of DM. Here, we describe red blood cell distribution width to albumin ratio (RAR) as a novel inflammatory biomarker for evaluating an association with DM prevalence and prognosis of all-cause mortality.