Summary ESR tet (word dx.)

Hematolog
y :




What is ESR test:
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate is a blood test that shows how quickly Erythrocyte (Red blood cells)
separate from a blood sample that has been treated with anti coagulant ( chemicals that prevent blood
clotting) During this test a small amount of blood will be put in an upright tube in which the red blood
cell will slowly settle at the bottom (sedimentation). This will leave a clear, yellowish fluid (plasma) at the
top and is monitored for one hour to determine the ESR.

Why RBCs cell settle faster?
If you have a condition like inflammation or cell damage there will be accumulation of an extra protien
in the blood this may cause red blood cells to clump together. This is the reason that red blood cells
settle faster in the bottom of a test tube. The faster your red blood cell fall the higher your ESR value.

High ESR:
May point to various inflammatory disorder like
 polymyalgia rheumatica
 temporal arteritis
 heart disease
 Cancer
 bone infection
 inflammation
 SLE
 ulcerative colitis



Low ESR:
 Sickle cell anemia (Altered shape of red blood cell)