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By Mayo Clinic staffSed rate tests were used more frequently in the past than they are today because more-specific measures of inflammatory activity are now available. Today, the test is most often used if your doctor suspects you have:
- Giant cell arteritis
- Polymyalgia rheumatica
- Rheumatoid arthritis
A sed rate test can also help determine the severity of your inflammatory symptoms and monitor the effect of treatment.
Because a sed rate test can't pinpoint the problem that's causing inflammation in your body, it's usually accompanied by other blood tests, such as the C-reactive protein (CRP) test.
- Vajpayee N, et al. Hematology principles and procedures: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate. In: McPherson RA, et al. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 21st ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders Co.; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/216253686-3/1043810485/1393/191.html#4-u1.0-B1-4160-0287-1..50033-1--cesec81_1878. Accessed Aug. 25, 2010.
- Warner EA, et al. Common laboratory tests. In: Rakel RA. Textbook of Family Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/216253686-3/1043810485/1481/690.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2467-5..50068-3--cesec27_4380. Accessed Aug. 25, 2010.
- ESR. Lab Tests Online. American Association for Clinical Chemistry. http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/esr/multiprint.html. Accessed Aug. 25, 2010.
- Laboratory reference values. Sedimentation. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; August 2010.
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