Refresher Course: ESR (sed rate)

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The Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR, Sed Rate) is a blood test thatmeasures how quickly red blood cells settle out of a blood sample. Inflammation or breakdown of tissue causes red blood cells to clumptogether, which makes them heavier so they settle to the bottom of theblood sample faster. This settling is called the sedimentation rate orsed rate. The more inflammation in the body, the more the red blood cells willclump together, the faster they will settle, and the higher the sedrate. The ESR means there is inflammation in the body, but it doesn'tshow where or why. The test does not diagnose lupus or any other condition. It is just ascreening test to evaluate if Lupus is active. If a person has lupus, ahigh sed rate suggests that the disease is currently active. Sed rate may be normal or high in lupus. A high sed rate can be present with any process that causesinflammation, such as infection. Many conditions that cause inflammationcan cause an elevated sed rate, including infection, pregnancy,arthritis, or other rheumatic diseases. So in short, if you have Lupus .. if your sed rate is high, then yourLupus is active.