Increased ESR in a 3 month old child. Why can a child’s ESR levels be higher or lower than normal? If the ESR in a child’s blood is elevated, what does this mean?

Thanks to a child's blood test, you can determine whether the baby is healthy or has any diseases. This is especially important if the disease is hidden. To identify such hidden pathologies, all children are routinely sent for tests at a certain age. And increased attention is paid to blood tests in children.

One of the important indicators determined in the laboratory during blood testing is ESR. Seeing this abbreviation on a blood test form, many parents do not know what it means. If, in addition, the analysis revealed an increased ESR in the child’s blood, this causes worry and anxiety. To know what to do with such changes, you need to understand how ESR analysis is carried out in children and how its results are deciphered.

What is ESR and how is its value determined?

The abbreviation ESR abbreviates the “erythrocyte sedimentation rate,” which is found during a clinical blood test. The indicator is measured in millimeters per hour. To determine it, blood combined with an anticoagulant (it is important that it remains liquid) is left in a test tube, allowing its cells to settle under the influence of gravity. After one hour, the height of the upper layer is measured - the transparent part of the blood (plasma) above the blood cells that have settled down.

Nowadays, in many medical institutions, ESR is determined using an automatic device.

Table of norm values

When a blood test is deciphered, all indicators are compared with standards, which depend on the age of the children. This also applies to the sedimentation rate of red blood cells, because the ESR immediately after birth will be the same, at the age of 2-3 years or 8-9 years the indicator will be different.

The standard ESR results are:

In a newborn in the first days of life
In an infant up to one year old
In children older than one year

An increase in the rate between the 27th day of life and two years is considered normal. In children of this age, ESR can reach 12-17 mm/h. In adolescence, the results differ for girls (an indicator of up to 14 mm per hour is considered normal) and for boys (an ESR of 2-11 mm per hour is considered normal).

Why is it below normal?

Deviations of ESR from the norm are often manifested by an increase in this indicator, and a decrease in the rate at which red blood cells are deposited is observed much less frequently. The most common cause of such changes is increased blood viscosity.

A lower ESR occurs when:

• Dehydration, for example due to acute intestinal infection.
• Heart defects.
• Sickle anemia.
• Acidosis (lowering blood pH).
• Severe poisoning.
• Sharp weight loss.
• Taking steroid medications.
• An increase in the number of blood cells (polycythemia).
• The presence in the blood of red blood cells with an altered shape (spherocytosis or anisocytosis).
• Pathologies of the liver and gallbladder, especially manifested by hyperbilirubinemia.

Reasons for increasing ESR

A high ESR in a child does not always indicate health problems. This indicator can change under the influence of various factors, sometimes harmless or temporarily affecting the child. However, quite often an increase in ESR is a sign of illness, and sometimes very serious.

Non-hazardous

For such reasons it is typical a slight increase in ESR, for example, up to 20-25 mm/h. T What ESR indicator can be detected:

• During teething.
• With hypovitaminosis.
• If your child is taking retinol (vitamin A).
• In case of strong emotions or stress, for example, after a baby has been crying for a long time.
• During a strict diet or fasting.
• When taking certain medications, such as paracetamol.
• If there is an excess of fatty foods in the diet of a baby or a nursing mother.
• After vaccination against hepatitis B.

In addition, in childhood the so-called C syndrome of increased ESR. With it, the indicator is high, but the child does not have any complaints or health problems.

Pathological

In diseases, ESR increases much more than normal, for example, to 45-50 mm/h and higher. One of the main reasons for faster erythrocyte sedimentation is an increase in the amount of protein in the blood due to an increase in the level of fibrinogen and the production of immunoglobulins. This condition occurs during the acute phase of many diseases.

Also, a common reason for a higher ESR is the appearance of immature red blood cells during inflammatory diseases. All these changes lead to faster sedimentation of blood cells, resulting in an increase in ESR.

An increase in ESR is observed when:

• Infectious diseases. An increased rate is often diagnosed with bronchitis, ARVI, scarlet fever, sinusitis, rubella, cystitis, pneumonia, mumps, as well as tuberculosis and other infections.
• Poisoning, for example, caused by toxins in food or salts of heavy metals.
• Helminthiasis and giardiasis.
• Anemia or hemoglobinopathies.
• Injuries of both soft tissues and bones. ESR also increases during the recovery period after surgery.
• Allergic reactions. ESR increases both during diathesis and anaphylactic shock.
• Joint diseases.
• Tumor processes, for example, with leukemia or lymphoma.
• Endocrine pathologies, for example, diabetes mellitus or thyrotoxicosis.
• Autoimmune diseases, in particular lupus.

ESR in infections

The most common pathological cause of an increase in ESR is infectious diseases. In this case, the nature of the infection can be determined by the leukocyte formula, because leukocytes and ESR are elevated in a child with both a viral and bacterial infection. However, in case of infection with a virus, the leukoformula will show lymphocytosis. If the infection is bacterial, a white blood cell count will indicate an increased number of neutrophils.

It should be remembered that to diagnose an infection, not only changes in the blood are taken into account, but also the clinical picture and anamnesis. In addition, it is important to note that after recovery, the ESR remains elevated for several months.

For information about the ESR norm and the reasons for increased indicators, see the following video.

Symptoms

In some cases, nothing bothers the child at all, and changes in ESR are detected during a routine examination. However, often a high ESR is a sign of illness, so babies will also have other symptoms:

• If red blood cells sediment faster due to diabetes, the child will experience increased thirst, increased urination, weight loss, skin infections, thrush and other signs.
• With an increase in ESR due to tuberculosis the child will lose weight, complain of malaise, cough, chest pain, headaches. Parents will notice a slight increase in temperature and poor appetite.
• With such dangerous cause of increased ESR, such as an oncological process, the baby’s immunity will decrease, lymph nodes will increase, weakness will appear, and weight will decrease.
• Infectious processes, in which the ESR increases most often, will be manifested by a sharp rise in temperature, increased heart rate, shortness of breath and other signs of intoxication.

What to do

Since most often a high ESR signals the doctor about the presence of an inflammatory process in the child’s body, a change in this indicator should not go unnoticed by the pediatrician. In this case, the actions of doctors are determined by the presence of any complaints in the child.

As a rule, the activity of the disease and the level of ESR have a direct relationship - the more extensive the inflammation and the more severe the disease, the higher the ESR will be. And therefore, indicators of 13 mm/h or 16 mm/h will not alert the pediatrician as much as ESR of 30, 40 or 70 mm/h.

If the child does not have any manifestations of the disease, and the ESR in the blood test is high, the doctor will refer the child for additional examination, which will include a biochemical and immunological blood test, chest x-ray, urinalysis, ECG and other methods.

If no pathologies are detected, and an increased ESR, for example, 28 mm/h, remains the only warning symptom, after some time the pediatrician will refer the baby to retake a clinical blood test. The child will also be recommended to determine C-reactive protein in the blood, which is used to judge the activity of inflammation in the body.

If an increase in ESR is a symptom of a disease, the pediatrician will prescribe medication. As soon as the child recovers, the indicator will return to normal values. In case of an infectious disease, the child will be prescribed antibiotics and other medications; in case of allergies, the child will be prescribed antihistamines.

In any case, parents should understand that an increase in ESR is not an independent disease, but is only one of the symptoms. In this case, treatment should be aimed at the reason why red blood cells settle faster.

How to get tested

To avoid a false positive result (an increase in ESR without the presence of inflammation in the body), it is important to get a correct blood test. ESR is influenced by quite a few factors, so when taking the test it is recommended to do it on an empty stomach and in a calm state.

• You should not donate blood after an X-ray, eating, crying for a long time, or physical therapy.
• It is advisable that the child eats no later than 8 hours before blood sampling.
• In addition, two days before the examination, very high-calorie and fatty foods should be excluded from the child’s diet.
• The day before the test, the child should not be given fried or smoked foods.
• Immediately before taking blood, the baby needs to be calmed down, because whims and worries provoke an increase in ESR.
• It is not recommended to come to the clinic and immediately donate blood - it is better for the child to rest for a while after the street in the corridor and be calm.

That is, the decomposition of blood into balls: the upper one is colorless bioplasm, and the lower one is red blood cells. ESR is calculated based on the height reached by the plasma ball in one hour. At a given time, red blood cells should settle to the bottom of the laboratory container. This is due to the difference in the specific gravity of the ingredients. Numerous factors influence the ESR level in the blood, the main ones being a person’s age and gender. If you hear: the ESR in the blood is reduced, it means that the indicator is below generally accepted standards.

Norm

For example, in newborns, the level is about 2 mm/hour; after two years, ESR increases to 4–17 mm/hour. The level of androgynous steroids in women is higher than in the “stronger sex”, respectively: indicator for women (up to 12 mm/hour), (up to 8 mm/hour). For people over 60 years of age, the blood ESR norm is calculated from the average values ​​(12-20 mm/hour) for women and (8-15 mm/hour) for men.

Demotion

Many people wonder: low ESR in the blood, what does this mean, let’s try to figure it out. Red blood cells settling at a certain rate determine the ability to connect. This process of decreasing the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is called aggregation. It depends on the number and electromagnetic properties of the red blood cells themselves. In a normal body they are negatively charged, which determines self-repulsion. If it increases, then the ESR decreases and vice versa.

Causes

To understand the full significance and informativeness of data on erythrocyte sedimentation rate in patient blood tests, it is necessary to determine the reasons for the decrease in ESR in the blood.

Reasons for low ESR in the blood may be:

• increase in numbers;
• buildup of bile pigments and bile acids in the blood;
• decrease in blood pH level (development of acidosis);
• increase in the number of red blood cells in the blood;
• with mutagenic changes in erythrocytes.

In adults

Having studied the premises, cases of changes in certain data due to diseases or deviations from the norm become completely obvious.

A decrease in ESR in the body can be a consequence of:

• erythrocytosis or erythremia;
• sickle cell anemia;
• anisocytosis;
• hemoglobinopathies;
• hypofibrinogenemia;
• hypofibrinogenemia, hyperalbuminemia or hypoglobulinemia;
• the occurrence of neuroses and epilepsies.

In addition, the fall of ESR in the blood is influenced by the effects of certain medications. In particular, calcium chloride, “mercury” drugs and salicylates. Moreover, a drop in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is considered a good indicator. Based on these test results, the doctor can prescribe effective treatment.

Decreased in a child

Below the generally accepted norm, it is observed several times less often than overestimated. In most cases, this indicates a problem in the baby’s circulatory system (thin and low). Moreover, the number of red blood cells increases, but the quality of their interaction with each other decreases. Low ESR in the blood of children may indicate recent “blows” to the body: dehydration, exhaustion, poisoning in some cases – viral hepatitis. In addition, a low ESR in children is a sign of heart disease.

But, despite all the horrors of the above, we must keep in mind that a low ESR in the blood is not a disease. A number of other tests are needed to identify the problem.

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Briefly speaking about what ESR is, it is one of the indicators of a general blood test that reflects the state of health. If this indicator increases, then there is a suspicion of the development of an inflammatory process in the body. The ESR norm in children may vary depending on age and gender.

How is the analysis carried out?

Blood sampling to determine ESR is carried out in the morning on an empty stomach. The biomaterial is taken from a vein or finger. In newborns - from the heel. The test requires a few drops of blood, so it does not pose any danger.

The area from which the material will be taken is wiped with an antiseptic, then a puncture is made. The first drop is wiped away. This allows you to avoid impurities getting into the biomaterial. A special vessel is used for collection.

The blood flow should be free, without pressure on the puncture site. Otherwise, mixing with lymph will occur, and as a result the data will be unreliable. To ensure free flow of blood, you need to warm the child's hand using warm water or any other method.

When drawing blood from a vein in the forearm, a tourniquet is applied and the patient is asked to clench his fist several times. This will ensure that the needle enters the vein accurately.

How often do you get your blood tested?

Poll Options are limited because JavaScript is disabled in your browser.

Only as prescribed by the attending physician 30%, 1198 votes

Once a year and I think that’s enough 17%, 678 votes

At least twice a year 15%, 593 vote

More than twice a year but less than six times 11%, 435 votes

I take care of my health and rent once a month 6%, 250 votes

I'm afraid of this procedure and try not to pass 4%, 167 votes

21.10.2019

To prevent a small patient from interfering with the blood test, many medical institutions allow one of the parents to be present during the test in order to create a comfortable atmosphere for the child.

There are often cases when a child becomes ill after the procedure: nausea and dizziness may appear. In this case, you need to offer him something sweet.

How much should the ESR be?

A child's ESR depends on his age. Indicators may even vary depending on gender. For girls they may have slightly higher values ​​than for boys of the same age.

Norms of ESR in the blood of children can be presented in the table by age:

The ESR indicator in a child’s blood is influenced by various factors, so it cannot be stable and changes with each study. If after several procedures the results show a deviation from the norm for ESR for children, disturbances in the functioning of the body are likely. For example, if a child at 2 years old has an ESR value of no more than 9, this is normal. If the research results show a value of 18, then a repeat analysis will be required, as well as a comprehensive examination that will help identify the reasons for such a deviation from the norm.

In a baby

In a newborn, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is low. This is explained by reduced metabolic processes. In children under one year of age, the rates increase. This is how the body responds to the activation of metabolic processes. A short-term increase in indicators may be recorded for up to 6 months. This is due to changes in blood composition. In some cases, fluctuations may be caused by teething. Increased indicators in infants will also be recorded in the presence of inflammatory processes. After the child recovers, the indicators will return to normal.

From 1 to 3 years

In a baby's first year of life, ESR values ​​gradually increase. In the period from 1 year to 2 years they are in the range of 5-8 mm/h. The norm for ESR in children 3 years old is 5-12. Small changes in indicators in 3 years should not cause concern.

An increased ESR in the study results indicates an inflammatory process in the child, and the degree of increase in this indicator reflects the severity of the disease. A blood test to determine the erythrocyte sedimentation rate/reaction (ESR, ROE) is prescribed for children with fever, symptoms of an infectious disease, complaints of weakness, or deterioration in health.

Why does ESR increase?

An increased value of the erythrocyte sedimentation reaction is found in children not only during illness. Sometimes an elevated ESR is detected in a child during a routine examination, but this does not mean that the cause of a high ESR in the blood is a dangerous disease.

Test indicators can change, both under the influence of natural physiological processes and under the influence of inflammatory processes. A physiological increase in ROE is a temporary phenomenon that does not require treatment and resolves on its own.

Changes in this indicator caused by the disease require treatment and are normalized only after recovery. In turn, based on the dynamics of ESR recovery, the doctor monitors the progress of treatment and predicts the outcome of the disease.

Physiological causes of increased ESR

An upward physiological change in ESR is observed in connection with food intake, increased physical activity, and strong emotions. There are daily fluctuations in the ESR value. In the period from 1 pm to 6 pm, ESR levels are higher than after waking up or before bedtime.

• In an infant, an increase in ROE can be caused by the high fat content in breast milk.
• Infection with worms can provoke an increase in the sedimentation rate of red blood cells.
• Teething in babies can serve as a natural cause of a temporary safe increase in ESR.
• ESR is sometimes increased when treated with drugs containing paracetamol and ibuprofen.

The reasons why ESR in the blood may increase in a child include:

• obesity;
• decrease in hemoglobin;
• recent hepatitis vaccination;
• treatment with vitamin-mineral complexes containing vitamin A.

A physiological increase in ROE, not associated with any pathologies, is observed in children between 28 and 31 days of birth, as well as at the age of two years. At this time, ESR can reach 17 mm per hour even in a completely healthy child.

In some healthy children and adults, ESR is constantly elevated even when they feel well, have good indicators of other tests and without visible signs of illness. This condition is called “accelerated ESR syndrome.”

According to medical statistics, in 5–10% of adults, the red blood cell sedimentation rate is increased throughout life in the absence of serious illnesses.

What diseases cause increased ESR?

The most common causes of increased ESR in children:

• infections of the respiratory organs, urinary tract;
• anemia;
• ENT diseases;
• autoimmune, immune diseases, allergies;
• metabolic disorders - diabetes, obesity;
• pathologies of the biliary tract, cholelithiasis;
• kidney pathologies;
• stress;
• oncology.

Infection is most often the main reason in children that causes increased production of immunoglobulins in the blood, which is why a child may have an increased ESR in the analysis. ESR increases in all types of infectious diseases - viral, bacterial, and fungal.

Infections account for 40% of all cases of increased ESR in children. Autoimmune processes and cancer are responsible for the increase in ESR by 17% and 23%, respectively.

Peculiarities of childhood include frequent diseases of the ear, paranasal sinuses, nose, and throat, in which the sedimentation of erythrocytes in a blood test is significantly accelerated. The reasons for exceeding the norm in ESR tests in children are sinusitis, acute and chronic otitis, and sinusitis.

Increased ESR during infections

The causes of the most pronounced increase in ESR in a child’s blood are most often bacterial infectious diseases. Acceleration of erythrocyte sedimentation is detected in a blood test following the rise of leukocytes, but with a slight delay of 1-2 days. The ESR is normalized after the leukocytes in the leukocyte formula are normalized.

In case of acute respiratory infections, the ESR can rise in a child to 35 - 45 mm/hour and even higher. If a child’s ESR levels reach 30 mm per hour or higher, quite often this means that they should be examined by an ENT doctor to rule out diseases of the nasopharynx and ears.

With otitis media and sinusitis (sinusitis, ethmoiditis), ESR can reach 50 mm per hour or higher. It normalizes within 3-4 weeks, gradually decreasing to normal.

A very high level of ROE is observed in sepsis and purulent inflammation. The following can cause an increase of up to 100 mm per hour:

• pneumonia;
• flu;
• tuberculosis;
• pyelonephritis;
• cystitis;
• fungal infections;
• viral hepatitis;
• helminthiases;
• severe injuries;
• oncology.

Erythrocyte sedimentation slows down within 14–30 days after recovery, which is why the ESR remains elevated in the analysis even after illness, although other indicators are normal. If ROE remains at a high level for a long time, then an autoimmune process and oncology should be excluded.

Increased ESR in inflammatory diseases

Increased ESR in autoimmune diseases accompanied by inflammatory processes. Such pathological processes in children include:

• systemic lupus erythematosus;
• arthritis;
• psoriasis;
• autoimmune dermatoses;
• vasculitis;
• scleroderma;
• Crohn's disease;
• celiac disease;
• glomerulonephritis;
• autoimmune hepatitis.

Acceleration of erythrocyte sedimentation and an increase in leukocytes in the blood are observed in hemorrhagic vasculitis. This disease is caused by damage to the walls of blood vessels of the skin and internal organs.

The disease is of an immune nature, and the provoking factor is often streptococcal or viral infection, food allergens. In severe forms of hemorrhagic vasculitis, ESR can increase to 50 mm/hour.

Decreased platelets, low IgM levels and increased ESR in hereditary thrombocytopenia. An increase in platelets and an increase in ESR is observed in autoimmune hepatitis.

Autoimmune hepatitis is rare in children, accounting for only 2% of all cases of this disease, including adults. But autoimmune hepatitis is difficult to diagnose, especially with a low degree of disease activity, which is why the child does not receive the necessary treatment for a long time.

Factors contributing to the formation of autoimmune hepatitis include Epstein-Barr, hepatitis, and measles viruses. There is even an assumption that this pathology can be provoked by taking interferon.

In inflammatory diseases, high ESR persists for a long time even after recovery. The indicators of this analysis are normalized after recovery from autoimmune diseases within 1.5 months.

Deviation of ESR from the norm

If ESR increases in blood tests during a routine examination in a healthy child, a repeat test is required, especially if the values ​​are much higher than normal. Repeated testing is necessary to exclude laboratory error.

If, upon repeated examination, the child’s ESR is increased to 15–17 mm per hour, this means that the baby’s immunity is actively producing immunoglobulins against infection, which is why the rate at which red blood cells settle in a blood test increases. Such an infection could be a respiratory virus that caused a slight runny nose and therefore went unnoticed.

When the ESR is increased to 21-22, this means that the inflammatory process in the child is intensifying, and if the ESR in the blood reaches 30 mm per hour or higher, then such a deviation from the norm means a serious illness.

If the test values ​​are high, the doctor prescribes additional examinations to find a reason that would explain why the child’s blood ESR is elevated. During treatment, analysis of ROE serves as an indicator reflecting the correctness of the chosen treatment regimen.

After recovery, the ESR does not recover immediately. Even after a minor cold with a runny nose and low-grade fever, it may take 2 to 4 weeks for the erythrocyte sedimentation rate to return to normal.

Reduced ESR in children in the following cases:

• dehydration – caused by vomiting, diarrhea, lack of daily fluid intake;
• liver diseases;
• congenital heart defects;
• poisoning;
• bleeding disorders.

Decreased erythrocyte sedimentation rate is rare and usually treats well in children.

When elevated ESR is the only symptom

If the child is cheerful, feels great, eats well, and tests over the course of several weeks reveal only an acceleration of erythrocyte sedimentation, then we can talk about the following possible changes in the body:

• development of autoimmune diseases - asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus;
• extrapulmonary tuberculosis and pulmonary tuberculosis;
• endocrine diseases - thyroid pathologies, diabetes mellitus;
• injuries;
• oncology.

With the development of rheumatoid arthritis, the ESR can rise quite strongly, and in a child’s blood test, indicators of 26–30 mm per hour are detected. The disease develops over a long period of time without external clinical symptoms. The first sign may be swelling of the joints. If the ESR is high and rheumatoid arthritis is suspected, a rheumatoid test is prescribed.

The ESR reading cannot make a diagnosis. But if there is a long-term and significant deviation from the norm, it is necessary to exclude possible systemic diseases that are asymptomatic for a long time.

How to find out about your child's health status? The easiest way is to donate his blood for analysis. Based on a dozen indicators, you can get a fairly complete picture of how well your baby feels. One of the child health indicators on this list is the ESR indicator.

What is ESR

ESR is an abbreviation word that hides the phrase “erythrocyte sedimentation rate.” This process is closely related to the ability of blood to separate into plasma and red blood cells. The blood taken for analysis is left for a certain period of time, and then the height of the upper plasma layer is measured. It shows how quickly red blood cells settle.

The pattern is simple: the fewer red blood cells, the faster they settle, and vice versa. A lack of red blood cells is, of course, an alarming sign, but, according to doctors, ESR cannot be a 100% determinant of it. Complete information about health with an increased or decreased ESR can only be obtained from a combination of the results of other tests. Nevertheless, the ESR indicator as one of the indicators of the clinical picture is very important in diagnosis.

How to measure ESR

ESR can be determined with a general blood test. It is taken both from the finger and from the vein. To ensure the objectivity of the results, the child must be calmed down before donating blood so that he does not cry. The analysis is carried out on an empty stomach. You must also first refrain from various medical procedures.

To measure ESR, a special unit is used - mm/h (millimeters per hour), which shows how actively red blood cells have settled during this time.

The normal ESR rate in children is a relative concept. Moreover, this indicator depends on the age and gender of the child, since it is also greatly influenced by the slightest physiological changes in the body, which are in no way related to diseases. So the corridor by which the ESR level considered normal is determined is quite wide.

In newborns, the ESR level is minimal, since their metabolism has not yet been established. But as the child grows up, the level of ESR in his blood increases. In adolescence, this figure for girls will be slightly higher than for boys. One more nuance: the older the child, the wider the normative boundaries of this analysis. But even if its results show a slight deviation from the norm, then, as a rule, there is no reason to worry. Doctors and parents need to be wary when the ESR level is increased or decreased significantly. It is dangerous when the ESR exceeds the indicator by 15–20 units. This means that there are too many inflammatory proteins in the blood, which cause red blood cells to actively stick together and settle faster. This is a clear sign that something has gone wrong somewhere in the child’s body.

If the ESR is elevated

An elevated ESR is not necessarily a sign of disease. Sometimes this indicator is influenced by some external factors:

• the child lacks vitamins;
• The baby is teething;
• the diet is disrupted: either the nursing mother does not carefully prepare her menu, which harms the baby, or the parents do not take the menu of an older child seriously, including too much fat in it;
• ESR may increase while taking certain medications, such as paracetamol;
• the child has worms;
• The baby is in a state of emotional excitement and stress.

Video recipe for the occasion:

These are reasons that are not directly related to the child’s health, but can affect the results of a blood test.

If the ESR is increased by several units, but the child no longer complains about anything, then most likely the problem is not critical. But if the analysis shows that the erythrocyte sedimentation rate exceeds the norm significantly, often several times, then this is a sign of some disease. In this case, additional examinations should be carried out - a biochemical blood test, a urine test, an ultrasound of internal organs to confirm or exclude medical pathologies for which an increased level of ESR in the blood is one of the symptoms.

So, what can affect the increase in ESR in the child’s blood:

• Infectious (bacterial, viral, intestinal) diseases. Measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever, influenza, ARVI, tuberculosis, tonsillitis - any infection can affect blood counts.
• Allergy.
• Worms.
• Intoxication.
• Oncological problems.
• Injuries and burns.
• Diabetes.
• Anemia and other problems associated with the qualitative and quantitative composition of blood.
• Hormonal imbalances in the body.

Foreign bodies in the body, neoplasms in it, violation of the integrity of tissues and organs, inflammatory processes - almost everything can affect the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation in the blood. It turns out that analysis of ESR is one of the main diagnostic tools, a litmus test that can give the green light to other studies, if the need arises.

If the ESR is low

A low ESR is much less common than a high one. But he also cannot play an independent role in making a diagnosis. A low erythrocyte sedimentation rate is only an indirect sign of child health problems, which include:

• circulatory disorders;
• heart diseases;
• exhaustion and dehydration of the body due to fasting, vomiting and diarrhea;
• poor blood clotting;
• violation of acid-base balance;
• autoimmune diseases (lupus, asthma);
• liver problems.

The clinical picture can only be clarified with a comprehensive laboratory and hardware examination.

What to do to normalize the ESR level

Elevated or decreased ESR levels cannot be treated by themselves. It is possible to cure only the disease that provoked a deviation from the norm of this indicator. This means that task number one is to carry out the correct diagnosis in order to prescribe the necessary medications or plan surgical intervention. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate stabilizes after the little person recovers. But you should keep in mind some nuances:

• in case of infectious diseases or inflammatory processes, the ESR level does not normalize immediately after treatment, but after some time, usually after a couple of months;
• sometimes a slightly increased or decreased level of ESR is just a physiological feature of the human body;
• each laboratory has its own methods for studying ESR, so in different medical institutions the results of this analysis may differ from each other;
• an increased or decreased level of ESR may not reflect the true clinical picture at all, that is, the child may be absolutely healthy, and vice versa - behind the normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate, sometimes a disease that has not yet had time to manifest itself is hidden, so in-depth diagnostics will not be superfluous.

To always keep your child’s health situation under control, it is recommended to check the ESR level in his blood at least once a year. If the indicator deviates from the norm, a competent pediatrician will certainly prescribe a repeat test or conduct additional diagnostics. The main thing is not to neglect going to the clinic and not to self-medicate.