According to medical statistics, approximately 5-10% of healthy people have an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate that does not fall for a long time. Such an accelerated ESR syndrome does not always mean a pathological process, and in the case of older people it is a consequence of age-related changes.
The indicators are normal depending on the age and gender of the patients.
Indicators of the standard ESR directly depend on the age and gender of the patient. On average, standard indicators of erythrocyte sedimentation rate are:
- Newborns: 1-2 mm / hour. Deviations of these indicators are rare and, as a rule, indicate a low concentration of protein, hypercholesterolemia or acidosis.
- Until six months of age, ESR values in children range from 12-17 mm / hour.
- In older children, ESR values fall, and 1-8 mm / hour is considered the norm.
- For an adult male, ESR is considered more than 10 mm / hour.
- For the fair sex, indicators can be scattered between 2 and 15 mm / hour. Such a spread is due to changes in the hormonal balance of the female body. Depending on the period, age and state of life of a woman, ESR indicators can vary significantly. For example, in the second trimester of pregnancy, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate increases and may be already 55 mm / hour by childbirth, which is also considered the norm.
After delivery, blood counts return to normal values. An increase in ESR against the background of bearing a child is explained by increased volumes of blood, as well as globulins, cholesterol and a reduced amount of calcium.
The causes of this syndrome
The syndrome of accelerated ESR code according to the ICD has R70. Under certain pathological conditions, an increase in ESR can reach 100 mm / hour and even higher. Such indicators are typical for diseases such as acute respiratory viral infections, sinusitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, cystitis, bronchitis, hepatitis of viral origin, pyelonephritis, as well as tumor formations of a malignant nature. If symptoms of a disease are detected, it is necessary to undergo an examination to identify and treat it.
Infectious diseases
Accelerated ESR syndrome (according to ICD-10 R70) is also observed in diseases of an infectious nature, including tonsillitis, otitis media and sinusitis, urogenital and respiratory system pathologies, as well as sepsis and meningitis.
Early diagnosis allows you to identify pathology and study its pathogenesis. This helps to prescribe effective treatment and prevent complications and consequences. There are also cases where the erythrocyte sedimentation rate increases for no apparent reason.
Symptoms with this pathology
Accelerated ESR syndrome may not be accompanied by any external manifestations. In this case, a person learns about the deviations only by donating blood for analysis, that is, most often they learn about the anomaly by chance.
How is a deviation from the norm detected?
Any prophylactic examination includes a study of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. If during the further examination the patient did not find other deviations and diseases, then the accelerated ESR syndrome as an independent symptom is not a cause for alarm and is not considered a pathology. Nevertheless, the patient is advised to conduct regular examinations, since the disease may be in a latent form of the course.
Differential diagnosis for this pathology
Before making a conclusion about the deviation in the indicators as a phenomenon safe for the patient, the specialist needs to conduct differential diagnosis of the syndrome of accelerated ESR and the following diseases:
- Pathologies of viral, bacterial and infectious genesis.
- Inflammatory processes of a systemic or local nature.
- Malignant neoplasms.
- Rheumatic diseases and other autoimmune conditions.
- Diseases manifested by necrotic processes in the tissues, such as tuberculosis, cerebral stroke, myocardial infarction, etc.
- Blood diseases, including anemia.
- Injuries, intoxication, prolonged stress.
- Violation of metabolic processes in the body, for example, with diabetes.
Additional studies with this deviation
Accelerated ESR syndrome may indicate an existing pathology or an emerging disease in the body. If a deviation is found, the results of the analysis are repeated blood tests to confirm the indicators. If the results match, the patient is assigned a more detailed examination, which will include a detailed medical history, radiography, a blood test, ECG, ultrasound, palpation of organs and other diagnostic methods. If ESR accelerated against the background of the disease, then eliminating the cause of the deviation will bring blood counts back to normal.
We examined how such a pathology as the syndrome of accelerated ESR manifests itself.