# High ESR Level (Bloodtest)



## Kiwiora (Apr 1, 2000)

Hi guys,My ESR is currently 90. It's supposed to be between 1 - 14!!! I know it's a non-descript kind of test but it's been steadily rising for a while now.Does anyone else have a high ESR? I'm wondering if it's my IBS. I had a scan done the other day which showed (with medical backup) that I could be suffering from endometriosis or colitis. My colonoscopy and gyno exam has ruled these out. I'm at a loss. I now suffer from PCO as well but my endocrinologist doesn't think that it would affect my ESR. To me - if my bowel was inflammed by all the D i have then surely that would raise my ESR????? Anyway, bottom line I'm just wondering if any of you also have an elevated ESR, and could it possibly be the IBS as the link??


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## Stace (Sep 20, 2000)

What is ESR?


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Red blood cells in a test tube fall at a certain rate. If there is inflammation they fall faster. It doesn't say what the source of the inflammation is but it is *not* related to IBS.------------------I am not a doctor, nor do I work for profit in the medical/pharmacological field, but I have read scientific and medical texts, and have access to numerous sources of medical information that are not readily available to others. One should always consult a medical professional regarding advice received.


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## zigmissus (May 19, 1999)

Wow, 90! My SED always comes in at 32. I think it indicates some kind of inflammation somewhere in the body. Most of my drs. just shrug. Have you had an ANA test, too, to rule out autoimmune disease?


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## Kiwiora (Apr 1, 2000)

I am going to my physician tomorrow for results of my ANA test. I understand flux that technically my ESR is not related to my IBS. However you must admit that if my bowel is always jumping around etc etc then there is a possibility that it gets inflammed from the D and so as such I was wondering if there's a connection. My point is that I have had that many tests it's not funny, my ESR level keeps rising and they can find no answer.Call me nuts.. but you can't help wondering if it's going to turn into one of those "if only we had of caught it sooner" things. As far as the Dr's are concerned I just deal with it until more symptoms appear. I'm not happy with that.


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## mitchell goldstein (Apr 6, 1999)

Kiwiora, until someone studies the sed rates of ibs patients nobody in their right mind can absolutely say that an elevated sed rate has nothing to do with ibs. one may suspect or hypothesize that because inflammation is not felt to be a factor in ibs one would not expect to see an elevated sed rate. although non specific the presence of an elevated sed rate is used to diagnose certain conditions(along with the clinical picture of course); polymyalgia rheumatica comes to mind if i remember correctly.


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

> quote:until someone studies the sed rates of ibs patients nobody in their right mind can absolutely say that an elevated sed rate has nothing to do with ibs


*IBS has nothing to do with an elevated sed rate.Saying it is or that it might is just spreading FUD.*------------------I am not a doctor, nor do I work for profit in the medical/pharmacological field, but I have read scientific and medical texts, and have access to numerous sources of medical information that are not readily available to others. One should always consult a medical professional regarding advice received.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

ESR is a standard diagnostic tool and IBSers should be normal in this measurment assuming nothing else is wrong in the body.


> quote:AuthorsTolliver BA. Herrera JL. DiPalma JA.InstitutionDivision of Gastroenterology, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, Mobile.TitleEvaluation of patients who meet clinical criteria for irritable bowel syndrome.SourceAmerican Journal of Gastroenterology. 89(2):176-8, 1994 Feb.Local MessagesHSL has complete holdings.AbstractOBJECTIVE: To determine which test would yield the most useful clinical data in evaluation of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). METHODS: One hundred ninety-six patients who met the International Congress of Gastroenterology criteria for irritable bowel syndrome were prospectively evaluated with hematological, biochemical, and metabolic laboratory testing, as well as a structural evaluation of the colon. RESULTS: complete blood count, sedimentation rate (ESR), serum chemistries, thyroid profile, and urinalysis were normal or yielded no useful clinical information. Stool examinations for parasites were also normal. Structural evaluations (barium enema, x-ray, and flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy) revealed abnormalities, including colon cancer (1), polyps (9), colitis (1), melanosis coli (2), diverticulosis (17), and hemorrhoids (11). Forty-eight subjects (25.8%) had lactose maldigestion confirmed by H2 breath lactose testing. Prior to formal testing, 25 (52%) of these subjects were unaware of the relationship between lactose-containing foods and their symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: * 1) ESR, thyroid profiles, and parasite examinations had no diagnostic yield in this study and, without specific clinical indication from history and physical examination, should not be part of the "routine" IBS evaluation. * 2) Lactose hydrogen breath testing is encouraged for patients with and without milk intolerance who present with IBS.


And this: An ESR over 17 is indicative of an ORGANIC disease rather than IBS which is a FUNCTIONAL disease.


> quote: AuthorsBellentani S. Baldoni P. Petrella S. Tata C. Armocida C. Marchegiano P. Saccoccio G. Manenti F.InstitutionCattedra di Gastroenterologia, Universita' degli Studi di Modena, Italy.TitleA simple score for the identification of patients at high risk of organic diseases of the colon in the family doctor consulting room. The Local IBS Study Group.SourceFamily Practice. 7(4):307-12, 1990 Dec.Local MessagesHSL currently receives; holdings are incomplete.AbstractIn order to develop a scoring system for selecting patients at high risk of organic diseases of the colon, who would need a colonoscopy or a barium enema, we conducted a study with 14 GPs in the local health care district of Modena. Over one year, 254 consecutive patients who consulted their GP for chronic abdominal pain were asked to answer a guided questionnaire. A checklist of simple parameters suggestive of the presence of organic diseases of the colon was also registered by the GP. For the final diagnosis, the patients underwent either a colonoscopy or a barium enema. Data collected were analysed by means of a stepwise logistic regression analysis to obtain a weighted score for the diagnosis of either irritable bowel syndrome (score less than 0) or organic disease (score greater than 0). * Out of the 25 parameters explored, six were significantly more common among patients with organic disease and weighted as positive score (namely ESR greater than 17 mm, * first hour, history of blood in the stool, leukocytosis greater than 10,000 cm3, age greater than 45 years, slight fever and presence of neoplastic colonic diseases in first-degree relatives). On the contrary, five parameters were more frequent among patients with irritable bowel syndrome and weighted as negative score (namely visible distension of the abdomen, feeling of distension, presence of irritable bowel syndrome in first degree relatives, flatulence and irregularities of bowel movement). Our scoring system correctly classified 83.5% of the cases, and it was very sensitive (82.4%) for the diagnosis of organic disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


K. ------------------I have no financial, academic, or any other stake in any commercial product mentioned by me.My story and what worked for me in greatly easing my IBS: http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/Forum17/HTML/000015.html


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## mitchell goldstein (Apr 6, 1999)

flux, i see that your banishment from this web page has done nothing to improve your ability to think and understand. what a pity! kmottus, as far as the study you cited i wonder if these ibs patients were in the throws of full blown ibs at the time of testing or just known to satisfy the criteria. i have had ibs for 28 years and i have had many periods where my colon is at rest eventhough my brain won't let it. the sed rate is often used as a guage to monitor many chronic conditions; it may be normal in the absence of exacerbation and become elevated during activity. osteomyelitis is one of many chronic conditions that when active will cause the sed rate to become elevated but when quiet it is not unusual for the sed rate to drop to normal levels. i am not saying that we should expect or will encounter an elevated sed rate in ibs patients just that it is plausible. osteoarthritis is classified as non inflammatory arthritis but even it has variants known to exhibit inflammatory signs and stages. in medicine there exist few absolutes and many idiosyncrisies[This message has been edited by mitchell goldstein (edited 05-16-2001).]


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## Debbie Benning (Jan 25, 2001)

Flux, what is FUD?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

My understanding is that one of the reasons IBS is considered a functional rather than an organic disease is primarily because things like Sed. Rate and all other blood tests and all other lets go up inside and take a look tests are normal in these patients.If Sed Rates were always elevated in IBS patients I would think 1 of the thousands of doctors who see IBS patients just about every day, or one of the researchers who study it would have noticed it by now, considering for many clinical trials they do things like routine make sure the blood values are relatively normal thing (CBC, Sed Rate, etc) prior to admitting you into the study. Generally IBS patients used in clinical trials are currently experiencing symptoms. I am no longer eligible to be in any of the clinical trials going on here because I am in remission the vast majority of the time. K.PS. No matter where my IBS is at the moment my blood work is always wonderfully and disgustingly normal. ------------------I have no financial, academic, or any other stake in any commercial product mentioned by me.My story and what worked for me in greatly easing my IBS: http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/Forum17/HTML/000015.html [This message has been edited by kmottus (edited 05-16-2001).][This message has been edited by kmottus (edited 05-16-2001).]


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

FUD = Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.------------------I am not a doctor, nor do I work for profit in the medical/pharmacological field, but I have read scientific and medical texts, and have access to numerous sources of medical information that are not readily available to others. One should always consult a medical professional regarding advice received.


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## wanderingstar (Dec 1, 1999)

thanks kmottus and flux for the accurate info.


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