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Question: High SED Rates and Lymphoma
| frisco
- Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:07 pm |
Hello,
I am a 34 year old female. My doctor just ran routine blood tests and found my SED rate to be at 31. She wants to see me back in one month. I am very concerned since my mother died from Lymphoma and I would like to know whether my family history + my current SED rate can lead to a cancer diagnosis?
Thank you for your time.
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| Dr. Safaa Mahmoud
- Fri Feb 02, 2007 7:36 pm |
 Hello,
ESR test (the sedimentation rate) blood test is used to measure the rate by which the red blood cells settle in a test tube in one hour.
The normal ESR level is 0–15 millimeters per hour (mm/hr) in males younger than 50.
The faster the red cells settle to the bottom, the higher the sed rate. The higher rate commonly occur when there is inflammation in the body such as an infection, an autoimmune disease, or cancer.
However, in cancer and in some severe infections the ESR is extremely high sed rate (greater than 100 mm/hr).
Diagnosis of cancer is not based on elevated ESR, but as I mentioned before an extremely high ESR (which is not your case) direct doctors to investigate there patients for causes like cancer.
Follow up with your Doctor is essential.
Best regards.
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