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What is ESR in Medical Terms?

ESR, or erythrocyte sedimentation rate, is a blood test that detects inflammation in body tissues. It is an important tool for the detection and management of certain inflammatory and infectious conditions. Doctors usually order this test to measure the degree of inflammation in autoimmune disorders, like lupus; and to measure response to therapy in conditions like osteomyelitis.

  1. Significance

    • The ESR is part of a battery of tests that detects inflammatory processes in the body. It is a nonspecific test, so a high ESR needs to be correlated with the age and gender of the patient, with the symptoms the patient may have, and with other tests.

    Features

    • The ESR test measures how quickly red blood cells fall, or sediment, in a tube. The more inflammatory markers are present in the blood, the quicker the red blood cells fall, and the higher the degree of inflammation. Normal values vary by gender and age. Men under the age of 50 usually have a level of 0-15 mm/hr; women of the same age from 0-20 mm/hr. Older men and women can have a slightly higher level.

    Considerations

    • Although it is a nonspecific test, it is important in the diagnosis of temporal arteritis, a condition that causes inflammation of the arteries in your face and head; and to monitor the response to treatment of conditions like osteomyelitis, a bone infection.

    Warning

    • Anemia and pregnancy can falsely elevate ESR results.

    Fun fact

    • Other names for the test are the Biernacki Test, in honor of Dr. Edmund Biernacki, who discovered the process behind the test in 1897; and the Westergren test, in honor of Dr. Alf Vilhelm Albertsson Westergren, who helped to develop the test in 1918.

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