Last updated on 16th Oct 2021 - By Dwayne Michaels

How Abnormal ESR affects heart?

Kidney disease, Rheumatic fever, Heart disease, Rheumatoid arthritis and Inflammatory bowel disease are some of the common causes of high ESR.

ESR or Erythrocyte sedimentation rate measures how quickly erythrocytes, or red blood cells, separate from a blood sample that has been treated so the blood will not clot.

The ESR blood test is sensitive, meaning most people who have an autoimmune condition will have an elevated sed rate, as expected. On the other hand, it isnt strongly tied with one particular disease, which means it is “extremely non-specific.

It is usually an indicator of inflammation, but it can be any kind, anywhere in the body. An elevated sedimentation rate could mean anything from psoriatic arthritis or cancer to pneumonia or tooth pain.

In one study on sepsis arthritis, for instance, the specificity was just 11 percent, which means that only 11 percent of people without the disease would be expected to test negative.

Reasons for elevated ESR:

Non-inflammatory conditions:

In non-inflammatory conditions, plasma albumin concentration, size, shape, and number of red blood cells, and the concentration of immunoglobulin can affect the ESR. Non-inflammatory conditions that can cause raised ESR include anemia, kidney failure, ageing and obesity.

ESR is also higher in women during menstruation and pregnancy. The value of ESR does not change whether dialysis is performed or not. Therefore, ESR is not a reliable measure of inflammation in those with kidney injuries as the ESR value is already elevated.

Did you know? Not getting enough sleep is linked to Heart attack, Depression, High Blood Pressure, Obesity and Diabetes.

Inflammation:

In inflammatory conditions, fibrinogen, other clotting proteins, and alpha globulin are positively charged, thus increasing the ESR.

ESR begins to rise at 24 to 48 hours after the onset of acute self-limited inflammation, decreases slowly as inflammation resolves, and can take weeks to months to return to normal levels. For ESR values more than 100 mm/hour, there is a 90% probability that an underlying cause would be found upon investigation.

Reasons for low ESR:

An increased number of red blood cells (polycythemia) causes reduced ESR as blood viscosity increases. Hemoglobinopathy such as sickle-cell disease can have low ESR due to an improper shape of red blood cells that impairs stacking.

You may need this test if you have symptoms of one of the diseases that may cause ESR to go up. ESR is not used as a screening test in people who do not have symptoms or to diagnose disease because many conditions can cause it to increase.

It might also go up in many normal cases. ESR doesn't tell your healthcare provider whether you have a specific disease. It only suggests that you may have an active disease process in your body.

ESR blood tests take a small amount of blood from a vein. To do that, a health professional will clean the skin and insert a needle into a vein. After inserting blood sample is pulled into a vial or syringe.

Collecting a sample of blood is only temporarily uncomfortable and can feel like a quick pinprick. A small bruise or mild soreness around the blood test site is common and can last for a few days. Get medical care for your child if the discomfort gets worse or lasts longer.