What does the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation mean?

The rate of erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR), a term familiar to many. Especially often, this indicator varies with the presence of any inflammatory process in the body. In order to understand what is meant by ESR, it is necessary to know what red blood cells are.

Erythrocytes - this is perhaps the most numerous in their number of uniform elements of blood. They make the blood scarlet. These are cells that do not have a nucleus. The number of them in women is slightly less than that of men. Normal indicators of erythrocytes in the blood are 4.5-5.0 x 10¹² / l.

The number of red cells can vary. An excessively high content is called erythrocytosis. Lack of red blood cells is called anemia. Changes in the number of elements can be either absolute or relative. Absolute increase in the number of red cells in the blood occurs with a long stay high in the mountains, where a low barometric pressure is observed. It can also be observed in chronic diseases in which the body undergoes prolonged hypoxia, for example, in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.

The relative increase in erythrocytes is observed when the blood thickens, for example, with severe burns, diarrhea in infectious diseases, and other causes that cause fluid loss.

Absolute reduction of erythrocytes is observed when their formation in the body or the rapid destruction of red cells, as well as due to extensive blood loss, is disturbed.

The relative decrease in the number of red blood cells is observed when the blood is diluted.

The erythrocyte has the form of a biconcave disk. As already mentioned, the erythrocyte of humans and other mammals does not have a nucleus, as a result of which it consumes less oxygen than its nuclear counterparts. It supplies the entire body with oxygen, spending only a small part of it. The surface of the cell is represented by a membrane that is well permeable to oxygen and carbon dioxide, chlorine anions and almost impermeable to potassium and sodium. Up to 90% of the erythrocyte substance is in hemoglobin, the rest is accounted for by other proteins, glucose and mineral elements.

In the laboratory diagnosis of blood composition, there is such a thing as the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation. What it is, and under what conditions there is an increase or decrease in ESR, will be considered below.

If the blood taken from a person is left to stand in a test tube with anti-immobilizing substance added to it, it can observe the accumulation of red blood cells. To determine ESR, sodium citrate and a special glass tube with dimensional divisions are required. In the blood taken from the finger, sodium citrate drips, it is collected in a tube and left to stand for an hour. After that, the result is evaluated, i.e. The height of the transparent top layer is measured.

The rate of erythrocyte sedimentation is normal for men up to 10 mm per hour, for women up to 15 mm per hour. Exceeding these indicators means the presence of any pathology.

What factors can influence this reaction?

The rate of erythrocyte sedimentation directly depends on the state of the plasma. Its importance, in the first place, is influenced by large-molecule proteins, such as globulins and fibrinogen. The concentration of these proteins increases with any inflammatory processes in the body, therefore, in such patients, the ESR always exceeds the norm. This rate is high in diseases of the immune system, with malignant tumors, anemias of different causes. Physiological increase in ESR is observed during pregnancy. In a pregnant woman, ESR is almost always twice the norm and reaches 40 mm per hour. Also, in women, the value of the reaction depends on the time of the menstrual cycle, rising during menstruation, due to insignificant blood loss.