The blood sedimentation rate is a measure of the speed at which red blood cells settle at the bottom of a column of blood in a glass tube. The rate (speed) depends on the amount of certain proteins in the blood. This is a screening test for many different diseases.
Conditions that may cause an elevated sedimentation rate include:
- Infections
- Inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
- Blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma
- Cancers that have spread (metastasized) to the lungs, kidneys, breast or colon
This test isn't specific to one condition. An elevated sedimentation rate may be a sign of an underlying problem. Further testing is needed to identify the problem.
