Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion Helpful Tips Sedimentation Rate

Both ESR and CRP are non-specific markers for inflammation. Less than 20 is considered normal for ESR. Less than 1 mg/L is considered normal for CRP.

Many things can cause elevation in both tests. And people with inflammatory conditions can have "normal" results. If you find there is a correlation of your symptoms with your test results, keeping track of results could be helpful.

Neither of these tests seem to correlate with my symptoms. Pain doesn't seem to be any better or worse with ESR of 3 or 20. CRP has gone from 0.5 to 3.0 with the same issues. Rheumy checks both, along with liver function.

Also, there is another test called CRP-HS (high sensitivity) which measures the same protein to a lower range. Instead of mg/L, a lab may give results in mg/mL or mg/dL.

Hi all. Interesting.
My tests have alwasy been normal. Yet I have gone in with huge swelling and very hot joints. My liver levels are elevated, I have always had what they call internal affects from this crap. Several guys say RA.
The NSD does shrink my gut, lessons stiffness for a period of time, but then the hammer seems to fall in a week or ten days.
Merry Christmas my friends,

Hey there Craig,

I am one of these folks who have always shown "normal" CRP and sed rates. My doctors tell me that sometimes, these tests just don't reveal any helpful information and there is no rhyme or reason for it.

In fact, one doctor told me "if you discover why this is, let me know so I can write a paper and get a Nobel prize for it". He also explained to me that as many as 20% of his RA patients have the same sort of results?

It doesn't make any sense to me and I was really disappointed to learn that I couldn't have some sort of objective evidence to validate my suffering...stupid tests!...lol

Chris

hear hear!

Dunno my sed rate has always been 1 from dx to now. My crp has dropped from 46 to 2 and I feel a lot better, hope it means things are getting better for me.
Darrel.

My Sed Rate has been around 30 for a while. It flares up some times, but soon returns to +/- 30.

P.S. My Rheumy said he would be happy if he saw my sed rate stay at 20 or below.

ESR stands for Erythrocyte (red blood cell)Sedimentation Rate.
In the presence of some inflammatory proteins (but probably not all)the red cells aggregate together into lumps and then sediment out of "solution" faster.
The thoroughly mixed anticoagulated blood sample is placed in a glass or plastic tube with a standard bore and the red cells allowed to settle out over a period of 1 hour. This gives a result of xx mm/hour. I'm not sure if America uses metric measurements?
Although a very old and non-specific test it still remains a very good marker and a crude guage of the extent of an inflammtory process.

I would guess that if the inflammtory proteins for some reason did not cause the cross linking of the red cells into aggregates then the ESR would be normal inspite of the inflammatory process and then CRP (C Reactive Protien) might be a better indicator of inflammation.

The only time an ESR is considered urgent is in the case of Temporal Arteritis (that's arteritis and not arthritis).

Cheers DEP

Sed rate can be normal and you can still be severely fusing and in pain.

Yes, it can be. But the higher ESR the pain and stiff we'll suffer. My ESR recently is 50-60. And it has been for 12 years. But i have 1 year experience when my doctor give me steroid frequently, my ESR drop to 20 and my stiff and pain is almost all gone.

My doctor before said that ESR related to the progressiveness of the AS and how much joint tissue has been inflammation in my body