Patient's question:
My child is getting checked at the hospital. The ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) is 7 mm/60 min. I want to know what it means?Doctor's answer:
This indicates that the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is 7 mm in 60 minutes. The anticoagulated blood is placed in an upright tube and allowed to stand vertically. Due to their higher density, red blood cells sink. The sedimentation rate of red blood cells is typically measured as the distance they have settled in the first hour, known as the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). The normal reference range for ESR is: Male: 0–15 mm/60 minutes, Female: 0–20 mm/60 minutes. This falls within the normal range.