Identifying Inflammatory Illnesses by the ESR Blood Test

By Richard D. Bernard


These days, maintaining a healthy body has become harder and harder for most people with busy schedules and routines, who don't have the time anymore to prepare healthy and organic meals, to exercise on a regular basis and to avoid stressful situations. Unhealthy eating habits, little or no physical activities and a lot of stress are the main factors that damage our health and force us to visit hospitals more often.

In order to stay healthy for a longer time and prevent problems from happening, you should pay more attention to improving your eating habits, exercise more and see a doctor at least once a year, for a full body checkup. You might be asked to take the ESR blood test. If you're wondering what is ESR blood test, it is an indicator of disorders associated with inflammation, such as arthritis, rheumatism, infections and many others. You can ask your doctor to tell you what is ESR blood test and why has he ordered it.

Because the test does indicate that somewhere in the body there might be an inflammation, it doesn't point exactly the cause or location of the problem and that is why doctors order it along with other tests, to compare results and establish the correct diagnosis.

For example, if a person comes in complaining about anemia, chronic pain, weight loss or stiffness in joints, the doctor might suspect he is suffering from rheumatism or temporal arthritis, but he cannot know for sure until the blood test ESR is carried out and the results can indicate if you are indeed suffering from an inflammatory disease. Elevated ESR doesn't always indicate a health problem, but it also occurs in pregnancy and old age.

The ESR can be elevated or decreased by the use of drugs and painkillers, but it can also be affected by other bodily conditions, as well as health problems. During pregnancy and menstruation, women have elevated ESR levels, which is not an indicator of an inflammatory disease. Likewise, low ESR levels do not indicate that the patient is necessarily suffering from a disease associated with chronic inflammation.

Whatever the case may be, it is better to prevent than heal, therefore you should always be on the lookout for suspicious symptoms or problems with your health. Looking for medical help in time will save you a lot of money and effort.




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