If the doctor suspects that there is a lot of inflammation in the body, he may recommend an ESR test.. but it helps the doctor to understand whether you have inflammation or not... Stay with us until the end of this article from GCORP LLC magazine to learn more about ESR test levels and their normal levels..

What is the ESR test?

The ESR test is a blood test that measures the sedimentation rate of red blood cells in a test tube....Inflammation can affect red blood cells in several ways....First, the red blood cells stick together and form a clump....This affects how quickly they settle inside the tube that contains the blood sample.

Also, if you have an acute infection or chronic inflammation, there may be more proteins in your red blood cells that can increase their sedimentation rate.

Why does the doctor prescribe the ESR test?

The ESR test detects and measures inflammation in the body, but cannot pinpoint the exact cause...for this reason, it is rarely prescribed alone.

The doctor can diagnose diseases that cause inflammation by using ESR in the blood test.. These diseases include the following:

• Autoimmune disease
• Cancer
• infection

The ESR test helps the doctor to check the health status of people with rheumatism and lupus. In addition, doing this test may be useful in the following conditions:

• Some types of arthritis
• Some muscle tissue or connective tissue problems such as polymyalgia rheumatica

Symptoms that show we should do an ESR test

If you develop symptoms of inflammatory diseases such as arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), you need an ESR test. These symptoms include:

• Joint pain or stiffness that lasts more than 30 minutes in the morning
• Headache, especially with pain in temples and changes in vision
• Unwanted weight loss
• Shoulder, neck or hip pain
• Digestive problems such as diarrhea, passing blood in the stool or unusual heartache

How to prepare for ESR test?

The ESR test does not require special preparation... However, you should inform your doctor about the use of any medication.... You may be asked to stop taking it temporarily before the test.... because some medicines, including steroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and statins, can affect the ESR blood test result.

Learn more: What is MCH in a blood test?

How is the ESR test performed?

This test involves a simple blood draw that only takes one to two minutes... To perform this test:

• First, the skin on the vein is cleaned.
• Blood will be taken from you using a needle.
• The laboratory expert removes the needle from the vein and puts a special glue on it to prevent bleeding.

The blood sample is then placed in a thin and long tube for one hour so that the laboratory specialist evaluates the rate and speed of sedimentation of red blood cells.

Along with the ESR test, the doctor may also order a C-reactive protein or CRP test. This test measures the level of inflammation and helps predict the risk of coronary artery disease and other cardiovascular diseases.

Learn more: RDW in blood test

What are the risks of ESR testing?

ESR itself is not dangerous, but blood sampling may be associated with the following complications:

• Bleeding (from mild to severe)
• Fainting
• Hematoma
• bruising
• infection
• Inflammation
• head style

You will probably feel a little pain when the needle pierces the skin....you may also feel a pulse in this area after testing.

If the sight of blood makes you sick, you may also feel uncomfortable watching a blood draw... Talk to your doctor or lab technician about your concerns before the test.

Types of ESR test in blood test

There are 2 different methods to measure the amount of red blood cell deposition.

• Westergren method:In this method, which is very common, the blood sample enters the Westergren tube until the blood level reaches 200 mm.. Then the tube is kept vertically at room temperature for one hour.
• Wintrobe method: The Wintrobe method is similar to the Westergren method, with the difference that the tube used is 100 ml and thinner. The weakness of the Wintrobe method is that it is less sensitive than the Westergren method.

Learn more: How long does it take for blood test results to be ready?

What is the normal value of ESR?

The result of the ESR test in the blood test is expressed in millimeters per hour (mm/hr)... The following table shows the normal values ​​of this test in different groups:

The higher the numbers on the ESR test, the more likely inflammation is. An ESR above 100 may be a sign of an active disease such as cancer, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease.

Interpretation of ESR results in blood test

The abnormality of the ESR test result cannot determine the type of disease. It only indicates the presence of inflammation in the body and shows that the patient needs further investigation.. On the other hand, this test is not always reliable... because various factors can change its result... these factors include the following:

• Increasing age
• drug use
• Pregnancy

Some causes of ESR test abnormalities are more serious than others, but many of them are nothing to worry about.. So don't worry too much if the ESR test result is abnormal.

1... the reason for high ESR in blood test

Increasing red blood cell sedimentation has various reasons.... Among the common problems that increase the speed of settling of these cells, the following can be mentioned:

• old age
• Pregnancy
• Excessive obesity
• Inflammatory and infectious diseases
• Tissue damage and lack of blood supply to it
anemia Kidney disease
• Diabetes
• heart disease
Blood or vascular diseases
• thyroid disease
• Vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels)
Some types of cancer such as lymphoma and multiple myeloma

If the red blood cell sedimentation rate is abnormally high (especially if inflammation is not seen in the person), the doctor may suspect a cancerous tumor.

Autoimmune disease

Elevation of ESR in blood test can be related to the following autoimmune diseases:

• Lupus
• Types of arthritis such as rheumatism
• A rare cancer called Waldenström macroglobulinemia
• Temporal arthritis, a condition in which the temporal arteries become inflamed or damaged
Polymyalgia rheumatica which causes muscle and joint pain
• Hyperfibrinogenemia, which is called an increase in fibrinogen protein in the blood
Allergic or necrotizing vasculitis

Learn more: Normal hemoglobin

Infection

Among the infections that cause an increase in ESR in the test, the following can be mentioned:

• Bone infection
• Heart infection that causes myocarditis (problem in the heart muscle), pericarditis (problem in the tissue around the heart or pericardium) and endocarditis (problem in the heart wall and valve)
• Rheumatic fever
• Skin infection
• Systemic infection
• Tuberculosis disease

2... The cause of low ESR in blood test

In general, a decrease in ESR does not indicate a specific abnormality... However, some factors can keep the level abnormally low and delay the diagnosis of inflammation or infection... These factors include the following:

• Congestive heart failure (CHF)
• Hypofibrinogenemia, which is called a low level of fibrinogen in the blood
• Low plasma protein (occurs in liver and kidney disease)
• Leukocytosis, which refers to a high number of white blood cells
• A type of polycythemia called polycythemia vera (bone marrow disorder that causes excessive production of red blood cells)
• Sickle cell anemia (a genetic disease that affects red blood cells)

What happens after the ESR test?

The doctor may order more tests depending on the test result. For example, he may ask you to repeat the ESR test to confirm the result of the first test. These tests will help the doctor determine the exact cause of the inflammation.

If you have a disease that falls into one of the following groups, an ESR test may be used to check the effectiveness of treatment.

Learn more: What is LDL in a blood test?

1... underlying disease

If the doctor suspects that the cause of the increase in red blood cell sedimentation is an underlying disease, he will refer you to a specialist who can better diagnose and treat the disease.

2... inflammation

If the doctor notices inflammation, he suggests one or more of the following methods for treatment:

• Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen
• Corticosteroid use

3.... infection

If some kind of bacterial infection has caused the inflammation, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics to fight the inflammation.

Endword

ESR is used in blood tests to help measure inflammation in the body.. This test is often performed together with other tests to rule out or diagnose various inflammatory diseases.

Depending on the results of the ESR test, your general practitioner or internist may order further tests or refer you to other specialists, including a rheumatologist...because a wide range of factors can affect ESR levels, from autoimmune diseases and heart problems to infections and some cancers.

If you have any questions about the ESR test, you can consult the best specialists through the GCORP LLC site.... In GCORP LLC, in addition to the face-to-face appointment system, online consultation with an internist or other specialties is provided.

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