SED Rate

Does anyone know anything about this blood test?  My DD's rate was 59. The doc says noraml range is  1-10 for her age.

[Kristen26]

Hi, I've heard of this before, but I looked it up in my nursing books too. To make a long story short...it could be elevated due to an inflammatory process.

Here is the long story: "The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (known also as the sedimentation rate or SED rate) is the rate at which red blood cells settle in unclotted blood in millimeters per hour (mm/hour). The ESR is nonspecific. The rate can be increased in acute inflammatory process, acute and chronic infections, tissue damage (necrosis), rheumatoid, collagen diseases, malignancies, and physiologic stress situations (e.g., pregnancy). To some hematologists, the ESR is unreliable, because it is nonspecific and is affected by physiologic factors that cause inaccurate results."

Why did they draw this level on your DD? It probably doesn't mean anything unless she has something else going on that they are testing for in conjunction with the ESR rate.

[tresmathews]

She has been running a fever for 5 days and they have tried 2 differnt antibiotics.

We are on our way to the hopital now. They are admitting her

[Kristen26]

I hope she feels better soon! Keep us posted on how she is doing.