ERYTHROCYTE

SEDIMENTATION RATE (ESR)

PRESENTED BY (GROUP 5)

SUSI RAHAYU,AMD.AK
ATUN ERNAWATI.AMD.AK
SRI DWIYANDARI
WIWIT RAHMAWATI
ROKIB SUBHAN
SOVI HASWINDHA PUTRI NUGRAHENI, AMD. AK
EKA SUPRIYANI,AMD.AK
 WHAT IS AN ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE (ESR)?

AN ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE (ESR) IS A TYPE OF BLOOD TEST THAT MEASURES HOW
QUICKLY ERYTHROCYTES (RED BLOOD CELLS) SETTLE AT THE BOTTOM OF A TEST TUBE THAT
CONTAINS A BLOOD SAMPLE. NORMALLY, RED BLOOD CELLS SETTLE RELATIVELY SLOWLY. A
FASTER-THAN-NORMAL RATE MAY INDICATE INFLAMMATION IN THE BODY. INFLAMMATION IS
PART OF YOUR IMMUNE RESPONSE SYSTEM. IT CAN BE A REACTION TO AN INFECTION OR INJURY.
INFLAMMATION MAY ALSO BE A SIGN OF A CHRONIC DISEASE, AN IMMUNE DISORDER, OR OTHER
MEDICAL CONDITION.

OTHER NAMES: ESR, SED RATE SEDIMENTATION RATE; WESTERGREN SEDIMENTATION RATE
• ESR IS THE MM OF PLASMA SEPARATED PER HOUR.

• IT IS USED CLINICALLY AS A NON-SPECIFIC

SCREENING TEST TO:
• DETECT THE PRESENCE OF INFECTION IN THE BODY
IN GENERAL.
• MONITOR THE STATUS OF CHRONIC
INFLAMMATORY DISEASE SUCH AS RHEUMATOID
ARTHRITIS.
• ESR IS NOT DIAGNOSTIC OF ANY PARTICULAR
DISEASE, BUT RATHER IS AN INDICATION THAT A
DISEASE PROCESS IS ONGOING AND MUST BE
INVESTIGATED.
 WHAT IS IT USED FOR?

• AN ESR TEST CAN HELP DETERMINE IF YOU HAVE A CONDITION THAT CAUSES
INFLAMMATION. THESE INCLUDE ARTHRITIS, VASCULITIS, OR INFLAMMATORY
BOWEL DISEASE. AN ESR MAY ALSO BE USED TO MONITOR AN EXISTING
CONDITION.
 WHY DO I NEED AN ESR?

YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER MAY ORDER AN ESR IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS OF AN INFLAMMATORY
DISORDER. THESE INCLUDE:
• HEADACHES
• FEVER
• WEIGHT LOSS
• JOINT STIFFNESS
• NECK OR SHOULDER PAIN
• LOSS OF APPETITE
• ANEMIA
 WHAT HAPPENS DURING AN ESR?

• A HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL WILL TAKE A BLOOD SAMPLE FROM A VEIN IN

YOUR ARM, USING A SMALL NEEDLE. AFTER THE NEEDLE IS INSERTED, A SMALL
AMOUNT OF BLOOD WILL BE COLLECTED INTO A TEST TUBE OR VIAL. YOU MAY
FEEL A LITTLE STING WHEN THE NEEDLE GOES IN OR OUT. THIS USUALLY TAKES
LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES.
WILL I NEED TO DO ANYTHING TO PREPARE
FOR AN ESR?

• YOU DON'T NEED ANY SPECIAL PREPARATIONS FOR THIS TEST.

 PRINCIPLE

• PRINCIPLE IN THIS TECHNIQUE, ANTICOAGULATED WHOLE BLOOD ARE ALLOWED TO

SEDIMENT UNDER THE EFFECT OF GRAVITY, USING A NARROW VERTICAL TUBE
CALLED WESTERGREN’S TUBE.
• THIS TEST IS BASED ON THE FACT THAT INFLAMMATORY AND NECROTIC PROCESSES
CAUSE AN ALTERATION IN BLOOD PROTEINS, RESULTING IN AN AGGREGATION OF
RBCS, WHICH MAKE THEM HEAVIER AND MORE LIKELY TO FALL RAPIDLY WHEN
PLACED IN A SPECIAL VERTICAL TUBE.
• THE LENGTH OF THE COLUMN OF CLEAR PLASMA AT THE TOP IS NOTED AT THE END OF
1 HOUR.
 ARE THERE ANY RISKS TO THE TEST?

• THERE IS VERY LITTLE RISK TO HAVING AN ESR. YOU MAY HAVE SLIGHT PAIN OR
BRUISING AT THE SPOT WHERE THE NEEDLE WAS PUT IN, BUT MOST SYMPTOMS
GO AWAY QUICKLY.
 WHAT DO THE RESULTS MEAN?

IF YOUR ESR IS HIGH, IT MAY BE RELATED TO SOMETIMES THE ESR CAN BE

AN INFLAMMATORY CONDITION, SUCH AS:
SLOWER THAN NORMAL. A SLOW ESR
• INFECTION MAY INDICATE A BLOOD DISORDER,
• RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS SUCH AS:
• RHEUMATIC FEVER
• POLYCYTHEMIA
• VASCULAR DISEASE
• SICKLE CELL ANEMIA
• INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
• HEART DISEASE
• LEUKOCYTOSIS, AN ABNORMAL
INCREASE IN WHITE BLOOD CELLS
• KIDNEY DISEASE
• CERTAIN CANCERS
RESULT
• IF YOUR RESULTS ARE NOT IN THE NORMAL RANGE, IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY
MEAN YOU HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION THAT REQUIRES TREATMENT. A
MODERATE ESR MAY INDICATE PREGNANCY, MENSTRUATION, OR ANEMIA,
RATHER THAN AN INFLAMMATORY DISEASE. CERTAIN MEDICINES AND
SUPPLEMENTS CAN ALSO AFFECT YOUR RESULTS. THESE INCLUDE 
ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES, ASPIRIN, CORTISONE, AND VITAMIN A. BE SURE TO TELL
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER ABOUT ANY DRUGS OR SUPPLEMENTS YOU ARE
TAKING.

LEARN MORE ABOUT 

LABORATORY TESTS, REFERENCE RANGES, AND UNDERSTANDING RESULTS.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT AN ESR?

• AN ESR DOES NOT SPECIFICALLY DIAGNOSE ANY DISEASES, BUT IT CAN PROVIDE
INFORMATION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS INFLAMMATION IN YOUR
BODY. IF YOUR ESR RESULTS ARE ABNORMAL, YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER
WILL NEED MORE INFORMATION AND WILL LIKELY ORDER MORE LAB TESTS
BEFORE MAKING A DIAGNOSIS.