What does an ESR tell you?
James Olson
Updated on March 02, 2026
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR or sed rate) is a test that indirectly measures the degree of inflammation present in the body. The test actually measures the rate of fall (sedimentation) of erythrocytes (red blood cells) in a sample of blood that has been placed into a tall, thin, vertical tube.
What is a good ESR blood test result?
The sed rate test reports in millimeters (mm) the distance between the clear liquid (plasma) at the top of the tube and your red blood cells after 1 hour. The normal range is: 0 to 15 mm/hour in men younger than 50. 0 to 20 mm/hour in men older than 50.
What is considered to be a high ESR?
An extremely high ESR value, which is one above 100 mm/hr, may indicate one of these conditions: multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells. Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia, a white blood cell cancer. temporal arteritis or polymyalgia rheumatica.
What properties of blood affect the ESR?
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, obesity, ageing, and female sex.
What diseases cause high ESR?
If your ESR is high, it may be related to an inflammatory condition, such as:
- Infection.
- Rheumatoid arthritis.
- Rheumatic fever.
- Vascular disease.
- Inflammatory bowel disease.
- Heart disease.
- Kidney disease.
- Certain cancers.
When ESR is high what is the treatment?
Inflammation. If your doctor detects inflammation, they may recommend one or more of the following treatments: taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn) corticosteroid therapy to reduce inflammation.
What happens if the ESR is high?
An abnormally high ESR can indicate the presence of cancerous tumors, especially if no inflammation is found. ESR test results that are higher than normal are also associated with autoimmune diseases, including: lupus. certain types of arthritis, including RA.
What is a normal ESR?
The normal range is 0 to 22 mm/hr for men and 0 to 29 mm/hr for women. The upper threshold for a normal sed rate value may vary somewhat from one medical practice to another.
How can I reduce my ESR level?
A high sed rate may point to various inflammatory disorders like polymyalgia rheumatica, temporal arteritis, and others. Factors that may help lower inflammation and ESR include engaging in regular exercise, living a healthy and hygienic lifestyle, losing weight if overweight, and eating nutritious foods.
Which food can reduce ESR?
Here are 13 anti-inflammatory foods.
- Berries. Berries are small fruits that are packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
- Fatty fish. Fatty fish are a great source of protein and the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.
- Broccoli. Broccoli is extremely nutritious.
- Avocados.
- Green tea.
- Peppers.
- Mushrooms.
- Grapes.
What do you need to know about the ESR test?
ESR test verifies the presence of one or more types of conditions, including infections, tumours, inflammation, and those leading to the breakdown or decreased the function of tissue or organs (degenerative), and/or to asses the progress of disease or effect of therapy.
Can a high ESR rate be a sign of disease?
An abnormal ESR test does not diagnose any specific disease. It recognizes any kind of inflammation existing in the body and indicates more tests to be performed. This test never gives you the right results. There are uncountable reasons that cause a high ESR rate. Few of the conditions causing this are
Do you have to fast for an ESR blood test?
Note: Fasting is not required for this test. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) blood test, also called a sedimentation rate or sed rate, is used to detect diseases associated with inflammation. It is useful in detecting inflammation diseases like: Infection.
What happens when the ESR of a circuit is high?
High ESR value contributes to the poor performance due to the power losses caused by ESR; the power loss can be calculated using Power law I 2 R where R is the ESR value. Not only this, noises and high voltage drop also occur due to high ESR value as per the Ohms law.