The full name in erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
They put a blood sample in a test tube in a centrifuge which spins the blood
at a certain speed and time. The amount of red cells that pack in the bottom is calculated as the sed rate.
The slower the sedimentation rate, the higher there are factors in the serum that thicken it and prevent the separating out between the red cells and serum.
It is taken as a crude marker for inflammation in general.
It is a simple test, but very vague and non-specific, but will confirm if a patient is really giving accurate information involving "being sick" or having sore joints, etc.
An elevated sed rate usually leads to other blood work to determine what is going on.
It is a very old test, and today we have many more detailed ones. But often used because it is inexpensive and revealing.
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All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.-- Galileo Galilei
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Weezie looking at petunias 8.25.2017
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