Denotes a blood test soe. For what reasons are ESR elevated in an adult? What does this mean and how does it affect the body? Increased data for diagnosing cardiovascular diseases

A blood test gives an idea of ​​a woman's health - this study is prescribed for almost any visit to the doctor. One of the main parameters of a blood test - ESR - can indicate the development of a serious illness. However, its level will change under the influence of physiological factors, and does not pose a threat to women's health. To register deviations in ESR from the norm, doctors use a table by age for women and men.

What is SOE? This is the rate of separation of red blood cells and plasma under laboratory conditions (an abbreviation for "erythrocyte sedimentation rate"), measured in mm/h. It is determined by the height of the plasma column in the test tube for a certain period of time. ESR indicates disorders in the body and can determine the nature of the disease only when considered in conjunction with other characteristics of the blood test - the number of platelets, hemoglobin, leukocytes, etc.

Rules for taking a blood test

To date, the determination of the level of ESR is carried out automatically. Laboratory equipment gives the most accurate results and avoids medical errors when calculating the indicator. ESR also depends on the condition of blood sampling for analysis:

• Blood from a vein should be taken on an empty stomach. Eating 8 hours before visiting the laboratory. On the eve, it is forbidden to eat spicy / fatty foods, soda, fast food. A heavy dinner leads to an increased ESR in a woman's blood.
• It is allowed to drink some water 3 hours before the test.
• A woman should exclude emotional stress, "take a breath" after physical activity (climbing stairs, etc.), stop smoking.
• If possible, stop taking medications. The doctor must be warned about the medications that are necessary for life.
• If a woman has menstrual bleeding, blood sampling, if possible (lack of urgent indications for research), is postponed for several days.

Important! Dizziness at the time of blood sampling for analysis is most often due to excessive worries and fear of "the needle". Pain during the test is minimal.

The norm of ESR in women in the blood by age (table)

With age, all blood parameters change, including ESR. Therefore, to determine the deviation, doctors are guided by a clear regulation of the table of ESR norms in women by age. Each age group corresponds to the minimum and maximum indicators that are considered normal.

Such a significant variation in the norm of ESR in adulthood is due to the fact that women after 50 years of age begin menopause. The hormonal level directly affects the rate of sedimentation of red cells to the bottom of the test tube.

In old age, a large difference in the minimum and maximum values ​​​​of normal ESR is due to the physiological aging of the body: at this age, the work of the bone marrow is inhibited, changes occur in the vascular bed, and a lot of diseases join.

ESR in the blood during pregnancy

The body of a pregnant woman undergoes strong changes from the first days of implantation of a fertilized egg into the endometrium of the uterus. A woman may not yet suspect pregnancy, but the ESR has already increased. The norm of ESR in pregnant women ranges from 7-45 mm / h. At the same time, such a high ESR is not critical for a woman's health and provides protection against bleeding.

Facts about ESR in pregnancy:

1. ESR increases with fetal growth up to about 6 months. pregnancy: in the first trimester, the rate is lower than before childbirth. Only in exceptional cases is the indicator reduced.
2. The average rate in pregnant women is 20 mm / h.
3. Significantly increased ESR in the blood during pregnancy shortly before childbirth: the level jumps 3 times. So the body of a woman is protected from excessive blood loss during labor.
4. After childbirth, the indicator comes to age norms only after some time, not instantly.

Causes of increased ESR in the blood

Why is the rate above the norm?

The highest level is observed in the morning hours. A slight excess of the ESR norm in women may indicate helminthiasis, or a lack of vitamins, but does not always indicate a pathological process. An indicator of 20-30 mm / h may mean:

• the onset of pregnancy;
• the onset of menstrual bleeding;
• adherence to a strict diet by a woman;
• recovery status after surgery;
• a simple cold or flu.

Important! With a cold, the number of leukocytes initially increases, ESR increases on the second day of illness and reaches its highest levels during the recovery period.

An increase to 30 mm / h is not considered critical. In case of serious diseases, the ESR in the blood of a woman is increased to 40 mm / h, and the level of 60 mm / h indicates an acute stage of the inflammatory process or an exacerbation of a chronic disease. Often, this indicator is observed with tissue necrosis in a woman's body - gangrenous appendicitis, heart attack, etc.

The main reasons for the increase in ESR:

• anemia, bleeding;
• food poisoning with vomiting and diarrhea (increased ESR due to fluid loss);
• respiratory tract infections - bronchitis, pneumonia, tonsillitis, SARS;
• pathology of the gastrointestinal tract - hepatitis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis;
• chronic fungal infection - large-scale trichophytosis (foot fungus) and onychomycosis (fungal nail infection);
• urinary tract infections - cystitis, pyelonephritis, endometritis, adnexitis;
• skin diseases - furunculosis, allergic reactions;
• endocrine pathology - thyroid disease, diabetes, obesity;
• systemic diseases - rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus;
• vascular pathology - temporal arteritis, systemic vasculitis;
• acute diseases accompanied by tissue necrosis - tuberculosis, stroke, heart attack (ESR increases 2-3 days after myocardial necrosis);
• malignant neoplasms, including those that have metastasized to the bone marrow (lymphoma, multiple myeloma, various types of leukemia).

Important! An increase in ESR may be due to the use of contraceptives, vit. Oh, and other drugs. In this case, a blood test gives a false positive result. The ESR level may not be true if a woman has anemia, has been vaccinated against hepatitis B, and has high cholesterol in the blood.

Also, false-positive indicators are often recorded in old age, in women with severe obesity, with renal failure. An increase in plasma protein (C-reactive protein, the exception is fibrinogen) and ESR in the blood are also interrelated. For more accurate results, the blood test is repeated.

Deciphering the analysis - what does an increased ESR mean?

All blood counts are interconnected. Evaluation of all indicators of the blood test in the aggregate gives the most accurate idea of ​​the nature of the damage.

A decrease in hemoglobin, an increase in ESR and leukocytes is characteristic of acute blood loss (childbirth, trauma, bleeding into the abdominal cavity, etc.).

• Elevated ESR and platelets in the blood often indicate bone marrow failure (myeloid leukemia, erythremia). Also, a similar change is recorded after surgical removal of the spleen, with ulcerative colitis, liver cirrhosis, osteomyelitis, tuberculosis. Sometimes this is a sign of the development of hemolytic anemia, exacerbation of rheumatism and oncopathology.
• Elevated ESR with a normal level of leukocytes may indicate a benign tumor.
• Low ESR and high platelet count indicate blood clotting due to severe systemic diseases or due to long-term/uncontrolled intake of certain medications.
• C-reactive protein is a specific marker of inflammation. Elevated protein and ESR in the blood always state a serious inflammatory process or latent infection. In chronic inflammation, the protein level is 10-30 mg / l (the level of the indicator reflects the severity of the pathology). With an acute bacterial infection, the protein rises to 80-1000 mg / l with a simultaneous increase. Viral infection, on the contrary, gives a slight increase in C-reactive protein - 10-30 mg / l. The higher the protein level in oncopathology, the worse the prognosis for the patient.

Elevated ESR is not a separate disease, but only a sign of an inflammatory process or other pathology. Therefore, normalization of the level occurs when the underlying disease is cured. By changing the indicator in the course of treatment, the doctor also judges the dynamics of the disease, the effectiveness of the treatment course. Most often, ESR returns to normal after 1-2 weeks. after recovery. However, after serious illnesses, the norm can be fixed only after a few months. If the indicator is increased for no apparent reason, the presence of a latent infection should be excluded.

In modern medical practice, in many cases, a patient is given a blood test to determine important data and use them to make or clarify the diagnosis of the disease. Such analyzes are done almost everywhere, in most medical institutions, clinics and specialized centers, as well as with a house call, and their methodology has been developed thoroughly, taking into account the latest data from foreign and domestic science and clinical observations. One of the key characteristics in such analyzes is the ESR.

What is SOE

The abbreviation ESR stands for "erythrocyte sedimentation rate". Many people are interested in physicians, which shows ESR in. The answer is simple: it shows how fast, more or less than expected, red blood cells settle in the blood. Without knowledge of this value, doctors cannot accurately diagnose many complex diseases, including infectious, inflammatory ones. The ESR phenomenon is based on the fact that during the disease, red blood cells begin to move differently than usual, and this difference can tell specialists a lot. So, it allows you to confirm the presence of an inflammatory process in the body and a number of other serious deviations from normal functioning.

Method of determination

The mechanism is based on the physical properties of the components that make up the blood. In particular, it is measured using the fact that erythrocytes are much heavier than blood plasma. For persuasion, it is worth turning to a simple experience. If blood is poured into a transparent tube and waited for a certain time, at the bottom you can see a ball of thick burgundy sediment created by erythrocytes, while above it there will be a translucent layer of plasma and other elements. Erythrocytes also have the property of sticking together, as it were, one with the other, creating peculiar clots. Since the mass of these clots is greater than the weight of individual erythrocytes, the clots go to the bottom faster. When a person has an inflammatory process, clots form and settle more vigorously, which leads to a change in ESR. Perhaps, of course, such a process, when the ESR decreases. The exact determination of these changes up or down gives specialists the opportunity to draw appropriate conclusions about the processes taking place in the body and diagnose the disease or its absence. The accuracy depends on whether the patient prepared correctly for the analysis, how professionally the study was carried out, and what is the quality of the reagents used in the process. If the ESR is lowered or increased, it is possible that the patient will have to donate blood for another analysis - a biochemical one, in order to determine additional important information.

The procedure itself, which lasts a maximum of 10 minutes, does not constitute any difficulties for the patient and is feasible, in principle, for anyone, which everyone who has already undergone it is well aware of. The patient is only required to exclude food intake at least 4 hours before the procedure. Capillary blood is taken from the third or fourth finger of the left hand, cutting it with a special blade, while venous blood is taken from a vein. The blood collected in this way is indicated and examined for the erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

For many years of medical practice, two main methods have been developed and thoroughly mastered, allowing you to find out the ESR coefficient:

1. Panchenkov's method. It is carried out for capillary blood using a special anticoagulant and the so-called Panchenkov capillary - a special glass pipette with gradations of 100 indicators. The study time does not exceed, as a rule, one hour, and its result is measured in millimeters - the height of the plasma column. This method is widely used in almost all post-Soviet countries.
2. Westergren's method. This technique differs from the first in two fundamental things: venous blood is used for it, and the scale itself, with which the speed is measured, has not 100 divisions, but 200, that is, it allows you to measure with much greater accuracy. In addition, the Westergren method uses a different unit of measure - millimeters per hour.

Naturally, only a professional doctor can fully evaluate the results obtained, however, any patient may well draw certain conclusions from them.

Normal and pathological indicators of ESR

It is necessary to know that the rate at which red blood cells settle is significantly influenced by the gender of the patient and his age, it varies in adults and children. It is characteristic that the erythrocyte sedimentation rate in children also depends on the age of the child.

In particular, the norm of ESR in the blood of a newborn baby is from 1 mm. up to 2 mm. per hour, since there is still an extremely low concentration of protein in his blood. For a child under the age of six months, this figure should be 12 - 17 mm. per hour, since his growing body is already receiving those elements that it did not have before. The norm in children is often inferior to the norms of adult patients. So, the norm of ESR in men by age fluctuates very noticeably. If his age is from 10 to 50 years, it is from 0 to 15 mm. per hour, when the age exceeds 50 years, the upper ceiling of the norm rises to 20 mm. in hour. Approximately the same picture in women: at the age of 10 to 50 years, the range of its norm is 0 - 20 mm. per hour, and in patients older than 50 years, the upper erythrocyte sedimentation rate rises to 30 mm. in hour.

As practice has proven, pregnancy makes noticeable adjustments to the ESR indicators: this indicator, as a rule, is increased compared to the norm. According to the latest studies of the best domestic and foreign experts, during the first ESR will be 15 mm. in hour. The second trimester will raise the bar to 25mm. per hour, and the third - even higher - up to 40 millimeters. Approximately the same situation will be observed in women after childbirth or at the stage of menstruation.

It is also worth noting that we are talking about standard, typical situations, while there are always many exceptions - people whose ESR rate already initially, immediately after birth, does not correspond to the norm, and at the same time they are completely healthy. Statistics say that this is typical for 5% of all inhabitants of the planet. The indicator may exceed the norm when a person takes certain medications, and in other cases.

Considering all these factors and taking into account the norm, any patient can draw the main conclusion based on his personal ESR: if this indicator is increased, most likely, undesirable processes dangerous to health occur. Therefore, it is necessary without delay to deal with this issue with the help of an experienced doctor: go to him for a consultation with the results of the analysis obtained.

ESR or erythrocyte sedimentation rate is a non-specific indicator. It indicates the inflammatory processes occurring in the body. What is the norm of ESR in men? And what are the most common causes of deviation from it?

Let's take a closer look.

ESR units

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate test to confirm symptoms with an unclear or broad etiology. For example, an unexplained increase in body temperature. Also, this diagnostic method is suitable for determining certain types of arthritis and other diseases with ambiguous symptoms.

The specific gravity of erythrocytes is greater than the specific gravity of blood plasma, therefore, during analysis, red blood cells slowly settle to the bottom of the test tube. The sedimentation rate depends on the degree of erythrocyte aggregation. It, in turn, is determined by the protein composition and electrical properties of the plasma.

RBCs are negatively charged and repel each other. An increase in the degree of their aggregation (clumping, grouping) is observed with an increase in the plasma content of acute phase proteins (fibrinogen or immunoglobulins). They are absorbed on the surface of erythrocytes and are a kind of marker of the inflammatory process. In a grouped form, erythrocytes take up less space in the plasma and settle to the bottom of the tube faster.

The distance in millimeters at which cells settled in one hour in a standard test tube is a unit of ESR: mm/hour. In blood test forms, it may be referred to as ESR or ESR. Medical personnel and old-school lab technicians may also use the term ROE.

Causes of increased ESR in the male body

The rate of erythrocyte sedimentation rate can change for several reasons. However, the most common is the presence of an inflammatory focus in the body of a man. Meaning nothing in itself, this indicator can warn about the development of the disease even before the first acute symptoms. Therefore, if detected in the blood, a thorough examination of the body should be carried out.

Where should you start with a health check in the first place?

This test is nonspecific and cannot serve as the only basis for making an unambiguous diagnosis. Yet it is useful in identifying a large group of possible disease states.

There are cases when the norm of ESR in men is reduced. Low values ​​are possible when the body is influenced by factors such as:

• increased blood viscosity;
• reduced fibrinogen level;
• polycythemia;
• Fasting or vegetarianism;
• Hyperhydration;
• low blood protein (kidney or liver disease);
• heart failure.

The norm of ESR in men and the degree of deviation

The rate of erythrocyte sedimentation in men is from 2 to 10 mm/hour. With age, the ESR indicator in men can change, remaining within the age norm. It is known that 5% of absolutely healthy men have, as a variant of the norm, increased rates of erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

Table 1. ESR norm in men by age

For convenience, deviations from the normal ESR parameters are usually classified according to the degree:

Grade 1 - a slight deviation from the norm, characterizing changes in blood parameters that are within acceptable limits.

Grade 2 - the indicator differs from the norm by 15-30 units. This signals microcirculatory disorders in the body of a man. For example, about the presence of an infection that slightly changes the normal functioning of the body.

Grade 3 - a deviation from the normal ESR values ​​by 30-60 units, which indicates the presence in the male body of a serious inflammatory or necrotic process.

Grade 4 - if the norm of ESR in men is exceeded by 60 units, which is an indicator of a catastrophically serious condition of the body.

Is there an error in the analysis?

Yes, without it...

Measurement of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate by the Westergren method or the Panchenkov test is part of a complete blood count.

In Russia, the Panchenkov method is still more common. A graduated glass capillary 1 mm wide and 10 cm high is filled with blood from a finger. It is mixed in certain proportions with an anticoagulant to slow down clotting. The sample is placed in a tripod with a calibrated scale for 60 minutes. The remaining column of plasma above the settled red blood cells is then measured in mm. This is the ESR indicator.

It is important to note that the norm of ESR in men within the framework of this method is measured manually by a laboratory assistant. It inevitably follows from this that the measurement results are subject to the influence of the “human factor. It is clear that under high workload conditions, laboratory assistants do tests at the same time with several samples. And of course, no one can sit with bated breath over one particular test tube for exactly an hour. Inaccuracies are also possible in fixing the distances measured in millimeters.

The Westergren test uses venous blood.

Both methods give similar results only in the range of normal values ​​in younger people. In the region above typical values ​​for each age, the Westergren test shows higher levels of ESR. Both methods have a satisfactory degree of accuracy, but the possibility of automated Westergren analysis makes it more preferable in modern diagnostics.

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a non-specific laboratory blood indicator that reflects the ratio of plasma protein fractions.

A change in the results of this test up or down from the norm is an indirect sign of a pathological or inflammatory process in the human body.

Another name for the indicator is the "erythrocyte sedimentation reaction" or ROE. The sedimentation reaction occurs in the blood, deprived of the ability to clot, under the influence of the force of gravity.

The essence of testing blood for ESR is that erythrocytes are the heaviest elements of blood plasma. If you place a test tube with blood vertically for a while, it will be divided into fractions - a thick sediment of brown erythrocytes at the bottom, and translucent blood plasma with the rest of the blood elements at the top. This separation occurs under the influence of gravity.

Red blood cells have a feature - under certain conditions, they "stick together" together, forming cell complexes. Since their mass is much greater than the mass of individual erythrocytes, they settle to the bottom of the tube faster. With the inflammatory process occurring in the body, the rate of erythrocyte association increases, or, conversely, decreases. Accordingly, the ESR increases or decreases.

The accuracy of blood testing depends on the following factors:

Proper preparation for the analysis;

Qualifications of the laboratory assistant conducting the study;

The quality of the reagents used.

If all requirements are met, you can be sure of the objectivity of the research result.

Indications for the determination of ESR - control over the appearance and intensity of the inflammatory process in various diseases and in their prevention. Deviations from the norm indicate the need for a biochemical blood test to clarify the level of certain proteins. Based on one test for ESR, it is not possible to make a specific diagnosis.

The analysis takes 5 to 10 minutes. Before you donate blood for the determination of ESR, you can not eat for 4 hours. This completes the preparation for blood donation.

Sequence of capillary blood sampling:

The third or fourth finger of the left hand is wiped with alcohol.

A shallow incision (2-3 mm) is made on the fingertip with a special tool.

Remove the drop of blood that has come out with a sterile napkin.

Biomaterial sampling is carried out.

Disinfect the puncture site.

A cotton swab moistened with ether is applied to the fingertip, they are asked to press the finger to the palm to stop the bleeding as soon as possible.

Sequence of venous blood sampling:

The patient's forearm is pulled with a rubber band.

The puncture site is disinfected with alcohol, a needle is inserted into the vein of the elbow.

Collect the required amount of blood in a test tube.

Remove the needle from the vein.

The puncture site is disinfected with cotton wool and alcohol.

The arm is bent at the elbow until the bleeding stops.

Blood taken for analysis is examined to determine the ESR.

The test tube containing the biomaterial with the anticoagulant is placed in a vertical position. After some time, the blood will be divided into fractions - at the bottom there will be red blood cells, at the top there will be a transparent plasma with a yellowish tint.

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate is the distance traveled by them in 1 hour.

ESR depends on the density of plasma, its viscosity and the radius of erythrocytes. The calculation formula is rather complicated.

The procedure for determining the ESR according to Panchenkov:

Blood from a finger or vein is placed in a "capillary" (a special glass tube).

Then it is placed on a glass slide, then sent back to the "capillary".

The tube is placed in a Panchenkov stand.

An hour later, the result is recorded - the value of the plasma column following the erythrocytes (mm / h).

The method of such a study of ESR is adopted in Russia and in the countries of the post-Soviet space.

ESR analysis methods

There are two methods for laboratory testing of blood for ESR. They have a common feature - before the study, the blood is mixed with an anticoagulant so that the blood does not clot. The methods differ in the type of biomaterial being studied and in the accuracy of the results obtained.

For research using this method, capillary blood taken from the patient's finger is used. ESR is analyzed using a Panchenkov capillary, which is a thin glass tube with 100 divisions applied to it.

Blood is mixed with an anticoagulant on a special glass in a ratio of 1:4. After that, the biomaterial will no longer clot, it is placed in a capillary. After an hour, the height of the column of blood plasma separated from the erythrocytes is measured. The unit of measure is millimeter per hour (mm/hour).

Westergren method

A study using this method is the international standard for measuring ESR. For its implementation, a more accurate scale of 200 divisions, graduated in millimeters, is used.

Venous blood is mixed in a test tube with an anticoagulant, ESR is measured after an hour. The units of measurement are the same - mm / hour.

The gender and age of the subjects affect the ESR values ​​taken as the norm.

In healthy newborns - 1-2 mm / hour. The reasons for the deviation from the normative indicators are acidosis, hypercholesterolemia, high hematocrit;

in children 1-6 months - 12-17 mm / hour;

in children of preschool age - 1-8 mm / hour (equal to the ESR of adult men);

For men - no more than 1-10 mm / hour;

In women, it is 2-15 mm/hour, these values ​​vary depending on the level of androgen, from the 4th month of pregnancy, the SOE increases, reaching up to 55 mm/hour by childbirth, after childbirth it returns to normal in 3 weeks. The reason for the increase in ESR is an increased level of plasma volume in pregnant women, globulins.

An increase in indicators does not always indicate a pathology, the reason for this may be:

The use of contraceptives, high molecular weight dextrans;

Starvation, use of diets, lack of fluid, leading to the breakdown of tissue proteins. A recent meal has a similar effect, so blood is taken on an empty stomach to determine the ESR.

Increased metabolism caused by exercise.

Change in ESR depending on age and gender

The acceleration of ESR occurs due to an increase in the level of globulins and fibrinogen. Such a shift in protein content indicates necrosis, malignant transformation of tissues, inflammation and destruction of connective tissue, and impaired immunity. A prolonged increase in ESR over 40 mm / h requires other hematological studies to determine the cause of the pathology.

Table of ESR norms in women by age

Indicators found in 95% of healthy people are considered the norm in medicine. Since the blood test for ESR is a non-specific study, its indicators are used in diagnostics in conjunction with other tests.

According to the standards of Russian medicine, the limits of the norm for women are 2-15 mm / hour, abroad - 0-20 mm / hour.

The values ​​of the norm for a woman fluctuate depending on the changes in her body.

Indications for a blood test for ESR in women:

Lack of appetite,

Pain in the neck, shoulders, headache,

Pain in the pelvic area,

Unreasonable weight loss.

The norm of ESR in pregnant women, depending on the completeness

ESR in pregnant women depends directly on the level of hemoglobin.

The norm of ESR in the blood in children

ESR above normal - what does it mean?

The main reasons that accelerate the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation are changes in the composition of the blood and its physicochemical parameters. Plasma proteins agglomerins are responsible for the implementation of erythrocyte sedimentation.

Reasons for an increase in ESR:

Infectious diseases that provoke inflammatory processes - syphilis, tuberculosis, rheumatism, blood poisoning. According to the results of ESR, a conclusion is made about the stage of the inflammatory process, and the effectiveness of treatment is monitored. In bacterial infections, ESR values ​​are higher than in diseases caused by viruses.

Endocrine diseases - thyrotoxicosis,.

Rheumatoid polyarthritis.

Pathologies of the liver, intestines, pancreas, kidneys.

Intoxication with lead, arsenic.

Malignant lesions.

Hematological pathologies - anemia, multiple myeloma, lymphogranulomatosis.

Injuries, fractures, conditions after operations.

High cholesterol.

Side effects of drugs (morphine, Dextran, Methyldorf, vitamin B).

The dynamics of changes in ESR may vary depending on the stage of the disease:

In the initial stage of tuberculosis, the ESR level does not deviate from the norm, but increases with the development of the disease and with complications.

Insufficient level of fibrinogen;

Reactive erythrocytosis;

Chronic circulatory failure;

In men, ESR below the norm is almost impossible to notice. In addition, such an indicator is not of great importance for diagnosis. Symptoms of a decrease in ESR are hyperthermia, fever. They may be harbingers of an infectious disease or inflammatory process, or signs of changes in hematological characteristics.

In order to normalize the indicators of laboratory testing of ESR, the cause of such changes should be found. Most likely, you will have to undergo a course of treatment prescribed by a doctor, additional laboratory and instrumental studies. Accurate diagnosis and optimal therapy of the disease will help to normalize the ESR. For adults, this will take 2-4 weeks, for children - up to one and a half months.

With iron deficiency anemia, the ESR reaction will return to normal with the use of a sufficient amount of foods containing iron and protein. If the cause of the deviation from the norm was a passion for diets, fasting, or physiological conditions such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, menstruation, the ESR will return to normal after the normalization of the state of health.

With an increased level of ESR, natural physiological causes should first be excluded: advanced age in women and men, menstruation, pregnancy, and the postpartum period in women.

Attention! 5% of the inhabitants of the Earth have an innate feature - their ESR indicators differ from the norm without any reason and pathological processes.

If there are no physiological causes, there are the following reasons for the increase in ESR:

• Inflammatory process,

  malignant tumors,

  kidney disease,

  acute or chronic infections,

  myocardial infarction,

  burns, injuries,

  Condition after surgery.

In addition, the erythrocyte sedimentation reaction can be affected by therapy with the use of estrogen, glucocorticosteroids.

Reasons for a decrease in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate:

Violation of water-salt metabolism;

Progressive myodystrophy;

1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy;

taking corticosteroids;

Vegetarian diet;

Starvation.

In case of deviation from the norm, you should consult a doctor to find out the cause of this health condition.

Editorial opinion

The ESR indicator depends not only on the physiological processes in the human body, but also on the psychological component. Both negative and positive emotions affect ESR. Severe stress, nervous breakdown will definitely change the reaction of erythrocyte sedimentation. Therefore, on the day of blood donation and on the eve of it, it is desirable to normalize your psycho-emotional state.

About the doctor: From 2010 to 2016 practicing physician of the therapeutic hospital of the central medical unit No. 21, the city of Elektrostal. Since 2016, she has been working at the diagnostic center No. 3.

Quantitative and qualitative composition of blood at different times in the same person may differ. A blood test that helps determine the state of the body and identify the presence of diseases contains such an indicator as ESR. It helps to assess how quickly erythrocyte cells aggregate. In turn, the results obtained may indicate the presence in the blood of various components that act as a catalyst for the reaction, or, conversely, cause it to slow down. What are the ESR standards, what do they depend on and how to avoid getting false results, we will consider further.

Before assessing which of the indicators are normal, it is worth understanding the mechanism of the analysis itself. Its principle is quite simple: the blood into which the anticoagulant is injected gradually begins to separate into fractions. The erythrocytes that stick together become heavier and settle to the bottom, while the leukocytes and platelets rise to the top. Plasma, as the lightest part, will always be on top.