(ESR) Westergren Sedimentation Rate
The ESR is a nonspecific test used to detect illness associated with acute and chronic infection, autoimmune disorders, inflammation (collagen vascular diseases), advanced neoplasm, and tissue necrosis or infarction. Elevations in fibrinogen, alpha- and beta-globulins (acute phase reactants), and immunoglobulins increase the sedimentation rate of red cells through plasma. The test is important in the detection of temporal arteritis, as well as its management.
