The Egyptian Society for Blood Transfusion Services
● When should the examination be performed?
An erythrocyte sedimentation rate test is performed for several reasons, including:
Diagnosis of inflammation or infection.
• Investigating signs of the presence of metastases in patients with cancer.
• Evaluation of disease progression leading to an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
• Evaluation of the response of a particular disease to treatment, which caused an increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
● At-risk category, in the following cases, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate test cannot be performed or important information cannot be derived based on its procedure:
• During pregnancy.
• Anemia.
• During menstruation.
• In the elderly.
• Up to a month after a surgical procedure.