Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)

Biernacki's reaction - OB test when should you do it?

The ESR test is used to detect inflammation.

Diagnostics that assess the rate of descent of morphotic elements of the peripheral blood.

Reduced ESR values may be indicative of verrucous melanosis, hyperviscosity of the blood, cryoglobulinemia, and reduced haptoglobin levels.

Reduced ESR values may be indicative of hyperviscosity of the blood

Elevated ESR

These occur in the course of:

• infectious disease,
• tissue necrosis,
• neoplastic disease,
• collagenosis,
• rheumatoid disease,
• bacterial infection,
• sepsis,
• autoimmune disease,
• nephrotic syndrome,
• cancerous disease,
• myeloma,
• macroglobulinemia,
• myocardial infarction,

The ESR test has low specificity and high sensitivity, and therefore can produce false-negative and false-positive results.

False-positive results with ob testing cause:

• menstruation,
• pregnancy,
• medications that inhibit ovulation,
• hyperlipoproteinemias,
• anemia,
• medications,