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A sed rate blood test is essentially a blood test that is focused on measuring how quickly red blood cells settle in a tube within the period of an hour. Some of the situations in which a sedimentation rate blood test is performed include to determine if a condition causing the inflammation is present as well as to monitor the response of the body to certain types of medical treatment. The sedimentation rate of the body is also known as the erythrocyte sedimentation rate because of the fact that it is a measure of the red blood cells sedimenting in a tube over the decide period of time. During a sed rate blood test, the rate at which the red blood cells settle in the test tube is measured. As a general rule, the sedimentation rate increases with more inflammation. All sed rate blood test results are compared with what is considered to be normal sed rate rates. The normal sedimentation rate differs from male to females. In males the reading is between 10 to 15 millimeters per hour while women will normally have a sed rate of between 0 to 20 milliliters in an hour. Elderly individuals are likely to have a slightly higher sed rate as a normal benchmark.
The sed rate blood test range is determined by the fact that when inflammation occurs in the body, certain proteins cause these red blood cells to stick together and fall more quickly to the bottom when the test is performed. The sed rate test is also regularly used in order to gauge the body’s reaction to a certain treatment and identify if the inflammation is reducing.
The high sed rate blood test is performed in very much the same way as any other blood tests, with a sample of your blood being taken via a syringe. A tourniquet may be applied to the top of the arm in order to allow the blood to buildup in the lower portion of the arm and cause the vein to swell and allow the presiding doctor or nurse to take the sample more easily. While no preparation is required for the commencement of the test, it is highly recommended that you inform the doctor about any medications that you maybe on at the time as certain drugs, especially blood thinners, are likely to interfere with the sed rate blood test results to a certain extent.
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