Your Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)

What Causes Elevated Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate?

Elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'needs attention' to 'very serious'.  Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms.  In order to diagnose elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, we could:

  • Research the topic
  • Find a doctor with the time
  • Use a diagnostic computer system.
The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate" as a symptom.  Here are two possibilities:
  • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Polymyalgia Rheumatica

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:
significant abdominal pain
very great unexplained weight loss
meal-induced pain for 1-4 weeks
significant red blood in stools
regular painful urge to defecate
colitis in family members
frequent stools
severe hypogastric pain
occasional mucus in stools
flatulence
elevated basophil count
fatigue after slight exertion
... and more than 10 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate:
Cause Probability Status
Polymyalgia Rheumatica 96% Confirm
Ulcerative Colitis 56% Possible
* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate having had recent lab tests, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) or Red Blood Cell Sedimentation Rate. Unit: mm/h
Possible responses:
→ Don't know
→ 0 to 15 (normal)
→ 16 to 25
→ 26 to 40
→ Over 40
Based on your response to this question, which may indicate normal ESR, elevated ESR or high ESR, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:
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