$5.00
Priced per marker, with baseline labs included. You’ll see your total before you pay.
Autoimmune & inflammation
ESR test
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (sed rate). ESR — nonspecific inflammation marker.
At a glance
In about 5 days
Most results are ready in about 5 days. Some specialty markers can take up to 21 days.
May have a step to take first. Contact us to ask
Contact us before your draw if you’re not sure.
Walk in at Quest
Your lab order arrives by email. Most Quest locations take walk-ins, so bring it with a photo ID.
What it measures
Measures how quickly your red blood cells sink to the bottom of a tube. When there’s inflammation, proteins in your blood can make the cells clump and sink faster.
Why it matters for women
Sed rate can run a little higher in women, and it can rise with age, pregnancy, and anemia, so results are read with that in mind. It can help track lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and polymyalgia rheumatica, a cause of shoulder and hip stiffness in older adults that’s more common in women.
You might check it if…
- your shoulders and hips are stiff and achy each morning
- a doctor is tracking lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
- you’ve had fevers, night sweats, or weight loss without a clear cause
What your result may mean
High ESR: what it may mean
High sed rate (ESR) may mean there's inflammation somewhere in your body, but this nonspecific test can't show where or why. It can rise with infection, autoimmune disease such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. Age, pregnancy, anemia and kidney disease can push it up too, and women can run a little higher than men. Shoulder and hip stiffness in an older woman may bring up polymyalgia rheumatica. Repeating it over time can help follow a condition, and CRP can add detail.
Low ESR: what it may mean
Low sed rate (ESR) may not be a concern on its own, and it may simply mean there's little inflammation right now. Very low values can occur with polycythemia, when the blood has too many red cells, or with sickle cell disease, since the number and shape of red cells can change how they settle. Medicines that calm inflammation can bring it down as well. A low result can't rule out every inflammatory condition, and CRP may add detail if symptoms continue.
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These notes provide context and do not diagnose a condition. Not yet available in NY, NJ, RI, HI, ND, SD or WV.