Sedimentation: What is it, Low, High and Treatment
Nowadays, health technologies are developing and, accordingly, diagnosis and treatment of diseases are becoming easier. Blood test is a widely used method requested by doctors in diagnosing different diseases. Sedimentation is a blood test that is requested especially when the presence of infection in the body is suspected. In addition, sedimentation values are important in diagnosing some diseases such as some types of cancer, anemia, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, kidney disease and thyroid disease.
Sedimentation is a blood test that reveals the presence of infection in the body. Not paying attention to general hygiene, irregular eating habits, weak immune system, contact with people with contagious diseases and not administering recommended vaccines at the right time cause infection in the body. Infection causes pain, swelling, redness and increased temperature in the body. Additionally, an increase or decrease in liver enzymes is observed. Infected individuals experience loss of appetite, fatigue and increased body temperature as a result.
What is sedimentation? What should be the sedimentation value? How is low sedimentation treated? How is sedimentation elevation treated? If you are curious about the answers to questions like these, you can read the rest of the article.
What is Sedimentation?
Sedimentation rate or erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a blood test that can reveal inflammatory activity in the body. The sedimentation value is reached with the help of blood taken into a test tube. This blood test looks at how quickly red blood cells settle to the bottom of the test tube. The higher the placement in the test tube, the more inflammation there is in the body. An ESR test, also called a sedimentation rate test or sed rate test, does not diagnose a specific condition but helps determine whether there is inflammation in the body and what additional testing may be necessary. Sedimentation value is also used to follow the course of some autoimmune diseases. Some of these diseases are as follows:
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Arthritis: Inflammation of the artery wall.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis: Inflammation of the joints.
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Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Butterfly Disease): Rheumatic disease that affects multiple organs simultaneously.
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Cancer: A disease caused by uncontrolled division and proliferation of cells.
In Which Situations Is Sedimentation Test Requested?
Sedimentation test is used to follow the course of existing autoimmune diseases. Additionally, your doctor may request a sedimentation test as a result of some symptoms. If symptoms such as joint pain that lasts for a long time (more than 30 minutes) in the morning, changes in vision, pain in the temples, sudden weight loss, pain in the neck and pelvis, problems in the digestive system, diarrhea, blood in the stool and abdominal pain are present alone or in combination, the doctor should consult a doctor. sedimentation test may be requested.
Some medications used (steroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and statins) may affect the sedimentation value. It is necessary to inform the doctor about the medications used before the sedimentation test. In some cases, it may be requested to check blood values after taking a break from medication use for a while.
What should be the sedimentation value?
Sedimentation value varies according to age and gender. In addition, some conditions such as medications used, pregnancy, fasting state, anemia, menstrual period in women and hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) also affect the sedimentation value.
Women have higher sedimentation values than men. For women under the age of fifty, values between 0 and 20 mm per hour are considered normal, while over the age of fifty, values between 0 and 30 mm per hour are considered normal. Values between 0 and 15 mm per hour in men under the age of fifty, and values between 0 and 20 mm per hour in men over the age of fifty indicate normal sedimentation value. Sedimentation value ranges in children are different from adults. Values between 0 and 10 mm per hour are considered normal for children.
The higher the sedimentation value, the higher the likelihood of inflammation in the body. Additionally, sedimentation test results higher than 100 mm per hour may indicate cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
What is Low Sedimentation?
Sedimentation value is a value that indicates inflammation in the body. A low sedimentation value (values close to 0 are considered abnormal) indicates that there is no inflammation in the body. However, the sedimentation value may decrease due to the use of drugs (quinine, salicylates, high dose steroids) or as a result of the effects of some diseases on the body. Some of the situations that reduce the sedimentation value are as follows:
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Congestive heart failure
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low plasma protein
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Leukocytosis, which is a high white blood cell count
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Polycythemia vera (bone marrow disorder)
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Sickle cell anemia (disease that affects red blood cells)
In case of low sedimentation value due to diseases, the main aim is to treat the disease.
What is Sedimentation Altitude?
High sedimentation value is considered to be higher than normal value ranges in men, women and children. Some medications used (dextran, theophylline, methyl dopa, methysergide, penicillamine, vitamin A, triflo peridol, birth control pills) and some diseases may cause the sedimentation value to be higher than normal. Additionally, sedimentation value increases as a result of infection in the body. Some situations that increase the sedimentation value are as follows:
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Systemic and localized inflammatory and infectious diseases (local or widespread infection)
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Tissue injury or ischemia (lack of blood to the tissue)
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Trauma
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Certain types of cancer, including some types of lymphoma and multiple myeloma
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Senile
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Pregnancy
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Anemia
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kidney disease
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Diabetes
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Heart disease
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Blood and vascular diseases
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Inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis)
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Obesity
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thyroid disease
Autoimmune Diseases That Increase Sedimentation Value
Sedimentation value lupus, some types of arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis, temporal arteritis (a condition in which the temporal artery becomes inflamed or damaged), polymyalgia rheumatica, which causes muscle and joint pain, autoimmune diseases such as hyperfibrinogenemia, where there is too much of the protein fibrinogen in the blood, allergic or necrotizing vasculitis may increase as a result.
Effect of Infection on Sedimentation Value
Bone infection, heart infections that cause myocarditis (affecting the heart muscle), pericarditis (affecting the tissue around the heart, or pericardium) and endocarditis (affecting the lining of the heart, which may include the heart valves), rheumatic fever, skin infection, systemic infections, tuberculosis (TB) Infection types cause the sedimentation value to be higher than normal.
How to Treat High Sedimentation?
Firstly, the underlying cause of high sedimentation is found. In the next stage, the aim is to treat the disease that causes the high value.
High sedimentation rate is often the result of an infection in the body. Preventing infection in the body and treating existing infection is very effective in reducing the sedimentation value. Paying attention to general hygiene, keeping the immune system strong with correct eating habits, avoiding close contact with people with contagious diseases, and getting appropriate vaccinations when necessary protect the body against infection and thus prevent the sedimentation value from increasing.
Sedimentation values may increase as a result of infection, and sedimentation values may be higher than the required range as a result of serious diseases such as cancer. Going for routine hospital check-ups and having the necessary tests recommended by the doctor prevents the occurrence of diseases, while it is also very important for the treatment of existing diseases at an early stage.
If you think that you are experiencing any of the symptoms of high sedimentation rate or any disorder that may cause high sedimentation rate, you can contact a health institution and be examined by a specialist. You can prevent the occurrence of diseases by having the examinations recommended by your doctor, or you can protect your health by ensuring that existing diseases are diagnosed and treated early.
