Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, Blood

Overview
Department	Haematology
Test Code	ESR
Synonyms	ESR   Sedimentation rate
Base Lab Availability	Monday - Sunday, testing routinely available out of hours
Hawera Lab Availability	Monday - Friday 8 am - 3 pm (Samples referred to Base Hospital Lab)
Turnaround Time	1.5-4 hrs
Stability – Add test	12 hrs
Specimen Requirements
Specimen	Whole Blood
Preferred	2mL minimum EDTA Purple-Top
Acceptable
Unacceptable	Clotted Sample Patients with cold agglutinins Samples less than 2 mL Samples older than 12 hours
Specimen Transportation
Paediatric Requirements	2mL minimum EDTA Purple-Top
Aliquot Requirements
Sample Type
Preferred Volume
Minimum Volume
Aliquot Transportation
Clinical Information
Reference Intervals	Male Female ≤20 years <10 mm/hr ≤20 years <10 mm/hr 21-50 years <20 mm/hr 21-50  years <25 mm/hr >51 years <25 mm/hr 51-65 years <30 mm/hr >66 years            <40 mm/hr
Test Method	Modified Westergen Method performed on Mixrate X20 analyser
Advanced Notice	Not required
Patient Preparation	Not required
Interpretation
The ESR has significant limitations in terms of measurement accuracy.  It is also affected by numerous physiological variables and by factors other than inflammation, such as haemoglobin and plasma protein levels. For these reasons, CRP has become the test of choice for acute inflammation, currently ESR has a more limited utility. For these reasons, ESR requests will only be processed when relevant clinical details are legibly written on the request form and meet the testing criteria (refer to the list below). SLE Rheumatoid arthritis Kawasaki disease Rheumatic fever Hodgkins lymphoma Temporal (giant cell) arteritis Polymyalgia Rheumatica Vasculitis Connective Tissue disorders Paediatric Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's and Ulcerative colitis) Juvenile idiopathic arthritis Bone, joint, or prosthetic joint infection/inflammation Osteomyelitis Uveitis or Iritis The ESR should not be used to screen for plasma cell dyscrasias; if these conditions are suspected, protein electrophoresis and/or serum free light chains should be used. The ESR should not be used to screen for inflammatory/infective disorders; CRP is the test of choice. It is seldom appropriate for both an ESR and CRP to be performed on the same sample.

Owner	Craig Mabbett (Mabbett1)
Last reviewed	27.11.2025
Next review	27.11.2026 (OK)