Home › Lab markers › ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate)
NUTRIENTS & INFLAMMATION
Also printed as: Sed rate · ESR · Sedimentation rate
Educational only — not medical advice.
ESR measures how quickly red blood cells settle to the bottom of a tube over an hour. Proteins that rise with inflammation make cells clump and fall faster. It is an indirect, slow-moving measure of general inflammation.
ESR changes more slowly than CRP, so the two together describe both the current moment and the recent past. Neither points to a cause on its own.
TYPICAL ADULT RANGE
Many labs report roughly under 15 mm/hr for adult men and under 20 mm/hr for adult women, with higher values expected with age. Ranges vary by lab. Reported in mm/hr.
Reference ranges vary by lab, by method, and by age and sex. Always read your own result against the range printed on your report.
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A low ESR is generally unremarkable and not followed up. It can occur with certain red cell shapes or with a very high red cell count. There is nothing to act on from a low value alone.
A modestly raised ESR has many everyday explanations and is influenced by things unrelated to inflammation: age raises it steadily, and it runs higher in women, in pregnancy, with anemia, and with higher body weight. Recent or current infection and any inflammatory condition raise it genuinely. Because it is so non-specific, a raised ESR is best read with CRP and with how you actually feel — and a persistently high value with symptoms is a normal reason for your doctor to investigate further.
Your doctor is the one who can read this number against your history, symptoms, and medications.
Educational only — not medical advice. Lab results only mean something alongside your history, symptoms, medications, and the rest of your panel. Bring questions to your doctor; they are the one who can interpret your results for you.
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