ESR is one of the indicators in a clinical blood test. When evaluating the results of the study, the doctor pays special attention to it. Elevated values of leukocytes and erythrocyte sedimentation rate always mean one thing - a person is sick. The question immediately arises: how to lower the ESR in the blood and will it contribute to recovery? To answer, you first need to understand what the indicator means, what are its normal values and what is its role in diagnosis.
What is ESR: methods of determination
ESR is an analysis that determines the rate of separation of blood into plasma and red blood cells. The indicator is displayed in millimeters of plasma settled over red blood cells per hour.
The degree of crowding of platelets indicates the presence of an inflammatory process. The analysis refers to studies that have little specificity - a reduced ESR in the blood does not indicate that the inflammatoryno process.
There are a number of methods for determining the indicator, but two of them are used: according to Panchenkov and the method of capillary photometry. With the Pachenkov method, the uncoagulated blood is placed in a vertical capillary pipette with a scale of 100 mm, and after an hour, the settled erythrocytes are counted.
Capillary photometry - analysis with automatic analyzers TEST1. At the beginning of the test, the samples are mixed to disaggregate red blood cells. The analyzer measures the movement of erythrocyte aggregation. The method is similar to the Westergren method, which is considered a sample for determining the ESR and has the same reference values.
Blood for analysis is taken from a vein by puncture or from the phalanx of a finger. The analysis time for all methods does not exceed one business day.
Norm ESR in blood
The ESR is influenced by various physiological factors. Smoking, insufficient fluid intake for the body, leads to a slowdown in the rate of sedimentation. The simplest answer to the question of how to lower the ESR in the blood is to drink less water. But these are far from all the factors that affect the test results. Age and gender are of great importance. The less red blood cells in the blood, the higher the sedimentation rate - in women, the normal ESR is slightly higher than in men. This is due to the fact that the blood of the fairer sex is updated more often, the level of erythrocytes is lower than in men, red blood cells settle faster.
ESR is measured in mm / h, its normal values are indicated taking into accountage and gender:
- Children from 0 to 7 days of life - no more than 1.
- From a week to 6 months - 2-5.
- From six months to a year - 4-10.
- 1 year - 10 years - 4-12.
- 11-18 years - 2-12.
- Men under 50 - 2-15.
- Women under 50 - 2-20.
- Men over 50 - 2-20.
- For women over 50, the norm is 2-30.
Norm ESR in women
Normal values of indicators differ depending on gender. This is due to physiological characteristics. Before you learn how to lower the ESR in the blood in women, you need to understand the norms of indicators:
- For girls under 17, the norm is 4-11 mm/h.
- From 17 to 30 years old - 2-15.
- 30 to 50 years - 2-20.
- The norm of ESR in a woman over 50 is indicated above.
Also, the indicator is influenced by other factors. One of the main ones is the menstrual cycle. Its absence is usually due to pregnancy or menopause. These periods are associated with serious hormonal changes that affect the composition of all body fluids. During pregnancy, in the first trimester, a reduced ESR in the blood of women (up to 13 mm / h) is considered normal, and in the third, on the contrary, increased (up to 45 mm / h).
Nutrition affects the change in the indicator - girls like to sit on various diets. The physique also affects the ESR. Many women stop taking care of themselves after childbirth, being overweight is associated with increasedcholesterol. Its high level contributes to an increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
Indicated by increased ESR
Increase in the level of acute phase pathological proteins promotes erythrocyte aggregation. Their settling occurs faster, the ESR value increases. Reasons for promotion:
- Infectious diseases, more often of bacterial etiology.
- Connective tissue diseases.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Oncology.
- Pathologies of the cardiovascular system.
- Disorders of the liver and kidneys.
- Recent trauma with heavy blood loss.
- The entry of toxins into the body.
- Abnormally increased fluid intake.
Reduced ESR
Not always with the disease, the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation is increased. Reduced ESR in the blood of a child or adult is a consequence of certain disorders in the body:
- Increased blood viscosity.
- High levels of bilirubin.
- Decrease in pH in the body's acid-base balance (acidosis).
These disorders occur during the formation of certain pathologies.
- Atherosclerosis.
- Varicose.
- Hypertension.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Hepatitis.
- Pathologies of the kidneys.
- Diabetes mellitus.
Why does the ESR increase in a child
Deviation from the norm upwards in ESR in children in most cases is associated with the development of inflammation. But there are alsoother factors:
- Metabolic changes (not always associated with pathology).
- Mental strain, stress.
- An autoimmune disease.
- Helminthiasis.
- Allergy.
In very young children, an increase in ESR may be associated with teething. In puberty, deviations from the norm of indicators are influenced by natural physiological changes.
It is better for parents to think not about how to lower the ESR in the blood of a baby, but about how to eliminate the cause. At the first symptoms of inflammation, you should contact your pediatrician.
Reduction methods
Indicators of the reaction of erythrocyte sedimentation are normal in the absence of diseases. There are several methods on how to lower the ESR in the blood, or rather reduce inflammation. Usually, the analysis is prescribed by a doctor, who also carries out the treatment. It is highly undesirable to take medications on your own, as improperly selected drug therapy can aggravate the situation.
Folk recipes can be used independently, but not abused and only after consultation with the doctor.
How to lower ESR with drugs
Medications affect test results. Before the examination, the doctor usually discusses with the patient the need to stop taking medications, since when they are used, the test may show a reduced ESR in the blood in men and women.
The analysis provides information about the presence of an inflammatory process in the body. She isused to monitor infectious, autoimmune, oncological diseases and a complex pathological process. In order to lower the ESR, it is necessary to eliminate the cause that contributes to its increase.
In anemia, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate will decrease if hemoglobin is increased. With significant deviations from the norm of iron-containing protein, folic acid, Hemodin, Totem, Irovit, M altofer are prescribed.
When tuberculosis is detected, it will not be possible to quickly lower the ESR in the blood. The disease is considered severe and has a long therapeutic course. In order to avoid addiction, the drugs are alternated, so their list is quite large. The most effective are Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide, Rifampicin, Ethambutol.
If a person suffers from a chronic disease that is not fully cured, such as hepatitis C, it is necessary to constantly adjust the course of medication prescribed by the doctor. If you have diabetes, regularly check your glucose levels, if it increases, you should discuss with your doctor a possible replacement of drugs that reduce blood sugar.
Decrease in ESR folk remedies
The use of alternative methods is permissible only after consulting a doctor. You can lower the ESR in the blood at home with the help of herbs, vegetables, fruits that help cleanse the blood:
- Herbs. An increased indicator in the analysis indicates an inflammatory process in the body. Its occurrence is influenced by the causative agents of the disease. The most common pathogens are staphylococcus aureus,streptococcus, candida. Tea and infusions of chamomile, calendula, nettle effectively help them. In addition, these plants rarely cause an allergic reaction, so you can brew them and drink them as a preventive measure.
- Garlic with lemon juice is also an effective remedy against pathogenic bacteria. Recipe: Peel 2 heads of garlic and pass through a meat grinder. Pour the resulting slurry with completely freshly squeezed lemon juice. Mix everything well and put in the refrigerator, take a teaspoon 2 times a day (preferably morning-evening), after meals. This recipe is not recommended for people suffering from hepatitis and stomach ulcers. This is due to the organic sulfides contained in garlic.
- Boiled beets. The root crop contains a large amount of useful nutrients: B vitamins, retinol, ascorbic acid, iron and others. But potassium is of particular value. This substance plays a huge role in the water-s alt balance of the body. Beetroot can be boiled and eaten as an independent dish or prepared in salads, in which it will be an ingredient.
In women, reduced ESR in the blood may be a sign of a natural physiological process, so you should not get involved in traditional medicine.
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate is one of the indicators in the general blood test. The presence or absence of an inflammatory process is determined by analyzing all values. ESR rises due to the occurrence of a pathological condition, therefore, when eliminatingdisease rate will be normal.
