home Thyroid ESR in children - decoding: norms by age and reasons for deviation. The normal ESR level in a child's blood. Causes of low and high ESR Increased ESR in inflammatory diseases

ESR in children - decoding: norms by age and reasons for deviation. The normal ESR level in a child's blood. Causes of low and high ESR Increased ESR in inflammatory diseases

A blood test is prescribed and performed for children for medical reasons for illness, as well as for preventive purposes. Not the last place in the list of indicators belongs to the study of ESR. The normal ESR level in the blood of children serves as indisputable evidence of a healthy body and the absence of foci of disease. The article discusses several issues: what values are considered normal, what methods are used to determine the values, what factors determine what needs to be done in case of deviation from normal values.

How is it determined

When a doctor prescribes a general blood test for a child, among the results obtained, information about the content of ESR in the bloodstream interests him in the first place. Some time ago, instead of the designation ESR, another name was adopted - ROE. The test data sheet stated “the ROE norm”, or “the ROE content in the blood is...”. Currently, the designation has been changed, and ESR is used everywhere.

The abbreviation literally means “erythrocyte sedimentation rate”; the indicator number indicates the speed of the process. The study can be carried out either using the Panchenkov method or the Westergren method (both are named after outstanding scientists - Russian and Swedish). The subsidence rate in the mentioned methods is the most accurate data, and the second method is considered the most reliable. How is the analysis carried out and what is the difference between the methods mentioned?

The Panchenkov method is used more often in public clinics; during the study, the collected material is placed in a vertical tube (Panchenkov capillary).

To analyze the ESR, a small amount of blood is taken from the child's ring finger.

Over time, a reaction begins in the tube. The red blood cell is a heavier component compared to the other components; it settles to the bottom of the tube gradually, leaving the rest of the space in the capillary lighter. After an hour, the height of the light column is measured, these numbers (unit of measurement - mm/hour) are the ESR.

The Westergren method is recognized as more indicative in medicine; it is more often practiced in private clinics. An analysis of the ESR content in a child’s blood is carried out on venous blood in a vertical tube. Before the study, an anticoagulant (a special substance that prevents blood clotting) is injected into the collected portion, which helps to clearly observe the sedimentation pattern.

What do the numbers mean?

To understand the values indicated in the results of laboratory analysis, you need to know what indicators are defined as normal for a child at different periods of life. ESR indicators in children first depend on age, then on the gender of the child.

The data is reflected in the table, which details the norms of indicators for each age period:

In a newborn baby, the norms of indicators are in the range from 2 to 4 mm/hour;
The next control indicator is the age of 6 months, the control figures for the norm are 5-8 mm/hour;
During the first year of a baby’s life, the numbers change; a one-year-old baby has indicators from 3 to 9-10 mm/hour;
At an older age, for example, upon reaching 10 years, the norm control figures become even more scattered, ranging from 4-5 to 10-12 mm/hour.
In adolescence (12-15 year period), the indicators take into account the difference between boys and girls and their different rates of maturation of the body.

It is important to remember that children’s bodies are very individual, and therefore, in some cases, analysis numbers may exceed the normal, stable age indicator.

Another feature is that only exceeding normal values by more than 10 digits can be a cause for concern. If the deviation from the norm is large enough, this is a cause for concern and prompt consultation with a doctor.

The degree of activity of the inflammatory process and the ESR indicator are closely related - the stronger the inflammatory process, the greater the numbers that exceed the standards. If there is a high ESR over a long period, an additional CPR test for reactive protein is prescribed.

Almost always, the situation with abnormal indicators improves after the child recovers. For treatment, antiviral or antihistamine medications are prescribed; in particularly difficult cases, a course of antibiotics is required.

Why might an increase occur?

Quite often, when conducting a study on ESR in children, some fluctuations in control data are revealed either in the direction of either increasing or decreasing. Based on the results of a blood test, deciphering the result does not always give an accurate idea of a possible illness, since in children the ESR norm is often subject to changes not only due to the disease, but also due to physiological characteristics, as well as reasons characteristic of a certain age.

An age-related feature of a slight increase in values is considered, for example, the period of teething (ESR can increase significantly), or the teenage period, when the state of the body is very unstable due to rapid growth.

Other sources of increase are diseases that are viral in nature, or an infection that accompanies some diseases provokes a surge in results, this happens with bronchitis, sore throat, ARVI, pneumonia. A peculiarity of ESR values in case of respiratory tract disease is a significant (more than 20-25 units) excess, especially often in case of bronchitis.

The reason lies in the increasing increase in the protein of the acute phase of the inflammatory process in the bloodstream.
A number of diseases are accompanied by the breakdown of tissue due to the release of breakdown products into the blood; these processes are typical for:

Oncological diseases;
Tuberculosis;
Inflammations that have a septic basis;
Heart attack.

When autoimmune processes manifest themselves due to changes in the protein part of the plasma, ESR levels in the blood of children increase with:

Scleroderma;
Lupus erythematosus, which is systemic in nature;
Rheumatoid arthritis.

An increase in the level of ESR in the blood of a child also occurs in diseases of the endocrine system, due to a decrease in the amount of albumin in the bloodstream plasma, as well as when diagnosing blood diseases.

In addition to reasons caused by illness, various household factors can lead to exceeding the ESR norm for children: stress, following a strict diet for a long time, taking vitamins, as well as excess body weight of the child.

Obesity can show a so-called false positive result, which is also typical for the anemic state of the child, the presence of renal failure, and high cholesterol levels in the body. The norm in children may increase after recent vaccination and disturbances in the nutritional system.

If a decrease is detected

In the case when, as a result of the analysis of ESR in children, the norm for age indicators is lowered, this situation may indicate a variety of reasons:

Dehydration of the body;
Severe poisoning;
Heart disease;
Blood cell pathologies (spherocytosis/aniocytosis);
High viscosity of blood flow;
Acidosis;
Intestinal infection in acute manifestations.

A reduced result is most often associated with the manifestation of pathology in the properties of bloodstream cells: the structure and qualitative composition changes, the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin is disrupted. Other reasons for the decrease include a low blood clotting threshold, as well as a deviation towards a decrease in the level of dilution. Quite popular reasons are a violation of the general circulatory system, the result of taking special medications. For babies under 1 year of age, the underestimation is due to a lack of fluid intake into the body.

A decrease in normal data is quite rare, but such a pathology is not considered an accidental condition that quickly normalizes. In medical practice, a decrease always reveals serious ailments of the body.

Regardless of the age of the child - whether he is one year old, six years old, or sixteen - parents need to understand that his health is constantly exposed to various adverse effects. Analyzing the level of ESR in a child’s blood helps to detect the source of the pathology and choose the right treatment method.

You need to remember the basic rule of preserving the health of a child - the earlier the disease is detected and correctly diagnosed, the greater the chances of achieving a full and speedy recovery.

In contact with

Regular determination of the normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in the blood of children is one of the ways to monitor health. The study of ESR can detect the presence of pathology at the earliest stage of its development. The specific form of the disease is determined by the pediatrician during a more detailed examination.

The ESR norm in children, which can only be detected by a blood test, indicates optimal indicators that prepare for a sufficient rate of adhesion of blood cells to each other.

Here we mean only red blood cells. Blood for this relatively painless procedure is used exclusively venous and is taken from the veins or capillaries of the upper and lower extremities.

There is no therapy that can level out abnormal ESR data in children and adults. This requires identification of the disease, if it exists, and its full treatment. Only then will erythrocyte sedimentation become normal over time.

In modern practice, three methods are used to determine the ESR norm in children:

Panchenkov method;
Wintrobe method;
Westergren method

The principle of all these procedures is approximately the same. They are a nonspecific test for the presence in the body of malignant neoplasms and other pathological changes of an inflammatory nature, including those caused by any infection.

Blood collection

The main features of the methods are only in the methods of blood sampling:

ESR according to Panchenkov, biomaterial is extracted from the finger;
according to Wintrob - from a vein;
Westergren's method involves two options: blood from a vein or from the heel.

For the needs of the researcher in the latter case, no more than two drops are required. They are applied to a special paper indicator.

In digital terms, ESR is expressed in millimeters of red blood cells deposited within an hour at the bottom of an elongated glass tube mounted vertically on a stand, after diluting the plasma of the biomaterial under study with a special citrate that dissolves ordinary blood.

Standard conditions for carrying out these studies:

diameter and length of blood tubes (2.55 and 300 millimeters, respectively);
temperature range - from 18 to 25 degrees Celsius;
analysis time limit is an hour.

Carrying out analysis

Analysis steps:

collecting venous blood from the patient;
adding 5% sodium citrate to the sample in the proportion of 1 dose of citrate to 4 blood;
adding the solution into vertically mounted test tubes;
start the timer separately for each test tube for exactly 1 hour.

The separation of plasma into a transparent and dark mass, representing a concentrate of red blood cells, occurs due to sodium citrate. It coagulates the serum. As a result of this, heavier fractions, under the force of their gravity, end up at the bottom.

The process occurs in four phases:

on the first - only the heaviest red blood cells settle;
on the second, sedimentation accelerates as a result of red blood cell clumping;
on the third, the sedimentation rate increases even more, since the number of “coin columns” (clumped red blood cells) becomes predominant;
on the fourth - there are no more unsettled red blood cells left in the plasma, and their sedimentation stops.

Westergren method

The most accurate way to determine ESR in children is the Westergren method. Its features are:

the use of small volumes (1 ml) when studying venous blood in a child;
the use of plastic rather than glass tubes with an inclination angle of 18 degrees;
automatic mixing of citrate with blood;
accelerated test - not in an hour, but in 20 minutes;
built-in temperature regulator;
temperature correction using the Mentley nomogram;
simplicity and safety in operation;
objectivity of results due to complete automation of the analysis process.

The advantages of the method include the possibility of using Westergren devices of any power, depending on the purpose of the analysis. The modern line of models includes devices that can provide absolutely accurate results on ESR.

These include analyzers that give:

30 analyzes per hour for 10 positions (Ves-matic Easy);
60 per hour for 20 positions (Ves-matic 20);
180 per hour for 30 positions (Ves-matic 30);
180 per hour for 30 positions (Ves-matic 30 plus);
200 per hour for 200 positions (Ves-matic Cub 200).

The Westergren testing procedure is carried out as follows:

the tube is filled with venous blood taken from the patient to a certain mark in the Vest-matic analyzer;
sodium citrate is added to the material;
the automatic component mixer starts;
to start measuring, press the “Test” button;
after ten or twenty minutes (depending on the analyzer model), the patient’s ESR will be automatically determined.

Blood counts are normal

When testing children for the presence of pathology, the value of not only ESR, but also all other components of blood plasma is determined.

In the normal state of the body, the indicators should be as follows:

Main indicators			Patient age
blood	Newborns	Up to a month	Up to 6 months	Up to a year	up to 7 years	Up to 16 years old
level		from 115	from 110	from 110	from 110	from 110
hemoglobin	from 180 to 240 Hb	up to 175	up to 140	up to 135	up to 140	up to 145
Quantity	from 4.3 to 7.6 RBC	from 3.8	from 3.8	from 3.5	from 3.5	from 3.5
red blood cells	(1012 per liter)	up to 5.8	Up to 5.6	up to 4.9	up to 4.5	up to 4.7
MCHC (color index)	from 0.86 to 1.15%	from 0.85	from 0.85	from 0.85	from 0.85	from 0.85
		up to 1.15	up to 1.15	up to 1.15	up to 1.15	up to 1.15
Platelets	from 180 to 490	from 180	from 180	from 180	from 160	from 160
	(PLT at 10 9 per liter)	up to 400	up to 400	up to 400	up to 390	up to 380
Reticulocytes	from 3 to 51	from 3.8	from 3	from 3.5	from 3.5	from 3.5
	(RTS in %)	up to 15	up to 15	up to 15	up to 12	up to 12
ESR	from 2 to 4 ERS	from 4	from 4	from 4	from 4	from 4
	in millimeters per hour)	up to 8	to 10	up to 12	up to 12	up to 12
Rod	from 1	from 0.5	from 0.5	from 0.5	from 0.5	from 0.5
	up to 17%	up to 4	up to 4	up to 4	until 6	until 6
Lymphocytes	from 8.5	from 40	from 43	from 6	from 5	from 4.5
	up to 24.5%	up to 76	up to 74	up to 12	up to 12	to 10
Leukocytes	from 8.5 WBC	from 6.5	from 5.5	from 38	from 26	from 24
	up to 24.5 per 109 per liter	up to 13.8	up to 12.5	up to 72	up to 60	up to 54
Segmented	from45	from 15	from 15	from 15	from 25	from 35
	up to 80%	up to 45	up to 45	up to 45	up to 60	up to 65
Eosinophils	from 0.5	from 0.5	0,5	from 0	from 0	from 0
	until 6 %	up to 7	up to 7	up to 1	up to 1	up to 1
Basophils	0t 0 to 1%	from 0	from 0	from 0.5	from 0.5	from 0.5
	according to BAS	up to 1	up to 1	up to 7	up to 7	up to 7
Monocytes	from 2 to 12%	from 2	from 2	from 2	from 2	from 24
	by MON	up to 12	up to 12	up to 12	to 10	to 10

The ESR norm in children under one year of age is not much different from the level that remains during the child’s growth and maturation.

As the table shows, the child’s age affects all blood parameters. An ESR higher than normal in a child sometimes means not only the presence of a disease. Children's physiological response to various environmental factors constantly changes as they age. However, most often ESR testing is used to diagnose possible pathologies in children.

When is it appointed?

Pediatricians resort to analysis of ESR most often to prevent common childhood diseases. More specific reasons are also possible, namely:

to clarify the diagnosis of previously identified inflammatory processes;
for cardiovascular pathologies;
disorders in the gastrointestinal tract;
if there is a suspicion that the child has a malignant tumor or.

In addition, testing for ESR is necessary if the patient develops the following symptoms:

availability ;
poor appetite;
rapid weight loss;
pain in the pelvic area.

How is the ESR test taken?

A child's blood test is carried out only in the morning and on an empty stomach. Blood is taken from a finger:

the pad of the ring finger is wiped with cotton wool soaked in alcohol;
the skin is punctured with a special needle;
the leaked drop is wiped off the pad to avoid accidental impurities getting into the blood;
the second drop of biomaterial is placed in a test tube.

Blood should flow out of the puncture without coercion from the laboratory assistant. If you press on your finger, lymph may penetrate into the desired biomaterial and lead to a distortion of the test result. To do this, before drawing blood, the child is asked to clench his fist several times or warm his hand in warm water.

If blood is drawn from a vein, the forearm is first tied with a rubber band so that the pressure is as high as possible.

Taking into account the fact that the procedure is somewhat painful and outwardly frightening, since the child sees his own blood, to calm him down, one of the parents is allowed to be present and calm the baby.

Nausea and dizziness, which often occur in children after blood sampling, are well relieved with sweet tea, chocolate and juices.

Decoding the results

The value of erythrocyte sedimentation rate in childhood depends on the physiological characteristics of the patient. The state of the SES indicator is also influenced by the time of day, existing diseases, the gender of the child and a number of other factors.

If the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is low, you need to think about the presence of viral infections or diseases affecting the cardiovascular system.

The situation is especially dangerous when analysis reveals even a very low content of red blood cells in a child’s urine. This means that the baby is seriously ill and needs to be shown to the pediatrician urgently. Urine, like blood, reflects physiological processes affecting the entire body.

Testing blood for erythrocyte sedimentation rate does not guarantee a definitive diagnosis. This is only the first step in a whole set of tests if the doctor suspects the possibility of the existence of some pathogenic process in the child. However, constant knowledge of your child’s ESR level gives you the opportunity to help him in a timely manner.

Should I worry if my baby’s ESR is high or low?

If a child runs, jumps, plays and eats well, and his ESR is higher or lower than normal, parents need to think about it. A clinical blood test, in which you can see whether red blood cells settle quickly or slowly during a special reaction, is given in order to identify diseases that are often hidden. The results of determining the erythrocyte sedimentation rate are the basis for further examinations of the child, if even one indicator is outside the normal range.

If a child runs, jumps, plays and eats well, and his ESR is higher or lower than normal, parents need to think about it.

An elevated ESR can occur in a healthy child, but most often the changes are a consequence of a hidden pathology or disease. There is always a reason for the changes that occur in the blood. If the causes are negative, the doctor prescribes treatment: after the child recovers, the ESR should return to normal.

What is ESR and how is its value determined?

When you see numbers on a piece of paper in a child’s card that are marked by medical workers as indicators that do not correspond to standard values, you should not immediately panic. It is better to find the answer to the question why ESR is measured - erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and what a change in this indicator means.

By donating blood from a baby’s finger, parents can find out within an hour whether the ESR is elevated. The Panchenkov method, which is used to determine the ESR value in clinics and hospitals, allows you to quickly obtain results.

When donating capillary blood, it is important to ensure that blood is collected from the ring finger of a small patient without additional pressure from the medical staff. Blood that mixes with lymph when pressed and does not flow out on its own will give a distorted result: its biochemical and cellular composition will be changed.

Having mixed blood with an anticoagulant in a capillary - a special cone, an hour later they measure the column of plasma that remains after erythrocytes sink to the bottom. This distance is measured in a vertically located capillary and is the desired value: how many mm red blood cells descend in an hour.

If the red blood cells quickly reached the bottom, the ESR is increased; if they sank slowly, the ESR is decreased.

In boys and girls, in the period from 6 years to adolescence, the normative values of ESR will change repeatedly, so decoding should be carried out taking into account age-related changes for each child individually.

Normal indicators and interpretation for newborns and children of the first five years of life do not depend on gender, and from the age of 6, each gender and age will correspond to a range of values: the table of normative indicators will be an important help for parents when deciding whether further examination of the child is necessary.

ESR studies in the described manner, which are carried out in all clinics, can be confirmed by donating additional blood from a vein and determining the erythrocyte sedimentation rate using the Westergren method. Abroad, this test is considered more reliable in determining ESR, since it is highly specific and takes into account all the nuances of changes that occur in the blood during the reaction. There is no need to prepare your child specially for the test; the only requirement is that there should be no breakfast before blood sampling.

The results of the clinical analysis determine which diagnostic methods the doctor will use in the future. The rate of increase in indicators helps to decide whether further research is needed and what it should be.

Physiological causes of elevated ESR

Blood is taken from a finger or a vein from the child in the morning. If you do this during the day upon admission to the hospital or for other reasons, you can get completely different data: at this time of day, an increase in ESR is often observed.

There are other physiological reasons that can cause increased ESR in the blood even in a healthy child.

It is necessary to take into account nutritional aspects when breastfeeding: infants are dependent on the mother’s nutrition. If her food is too fatty or not rich in vitamins, the baby will have a spike in ESR.

If the nutrition of mother and child can be regulated responsibly, no one will be able to avoid teething. During this period, not only the child’s behavior and other external manifestations of his internal well-being change: the ESR will also change upward. The reasons for increased ESR in the blood in children are both physiological and pathological.

The physiological characteristics of the child’s body tend to influence the increase in ESR, but often the reason for the increase in ESR in the blood is the child’s illness.

What diseases cause increased ESR?

A high ESR in a child is one of the diagnostically significant markers of health problems. Problems such as bleeding and autoimmune processes lead to it. Many cases of increased ESR are associated with inflammation and pathologies: with pathologies of the liver and kidneys in childhood, a change in the level of ESR in the blood is often observed. 23% of changes are associated with the occurrence of neoplasms, and not always benign.

Increased ESR during infections

When a child is poisoned by something or eats a low-quality product, he begins to vomit and have diarrhea: the ESR automatically increases. Intoxication of the body also occurs during viral and bacterial infections and leads to changes in the blood. Some infections (herpes, pneumonia) do not always manifest themselves in clear symptoms: an infectious focus helps to identify an increased ESR.

If monocytes have grown, ESR is increased by more than 30 mm/h, but the process is asymptomatic, other studies need to show that the child is sick and needs treatment, parents do not always recognize this: diagnosis may require new laboratory tests.

If an increase in ESR is the only symptom and blood was donated only for prophylaxis, you should still look for the reasons for the ESR deviation from the norm, so as not to miss a hidden infection and begin its treatment in time.

Increased ESR in inflammatory diseases

Inflammatory diseases are also the cause of increased ESR in children. Inflammation begins to develop after pathogenic microbes, as well as bacteria and viruses, enter the child’s body. Regardless of whether a child has an infection or not, the ratio of proteins in his blood changes during inflammation. This manifests itself in an increase in ESR. Severe inflammation can cause the ESR to jump several times, while mild forms give red blood cells a slight acceleration.

Deviation of ESR from the norm

Standard indicators of ESR are not only shifting upward. The result of clinical analysis is also a low erythrocyte sedimentation rate. A child who, for some reason, does not eat enough, eats only vegetarian food, will have a low ESR. Failure of water-salt metabolism also leads to such consequences.

In addition to physiological and pathological reasons, deviation of ESR from the norm can be associated with psychological reasons. A visit to the clinic does not cause joy for most children, but it provokes strong feelings. A baby who cried when blood was taken from his finger or vein will have an elevated ESR.

When an elevated ESR is the only symptom

Based on the fact that the child’s ESR deviated from the norm, no one recognizes him as sick. A lot of time can pass between the wording “bad tests” and a specific diagnosis. During this time, parents will have to carry containers with feces and jars of urine to the clinic, and take the child for an ultrasound or x-ray.

Regardless of the results of the analysis, treatment is prescribed to the child only when the disease is diagnosed and all the factors that influenced the change in ESR are determined.

When the ESR has skyrocketed for unknown reasons, additional opportunities for diagnosing the disease can be provided by a hormonal study, as well as an extended blood test - biochemical, sugar and C-reactive protein.

Only after carrying out the necessary studies, when the clinical picture becomes clear, will the doctor answer the question of whether the increased ESR is associated with the child’s illness: after all, the ESR also increases when his physiological state changes.

How to bring ESR levels back to normal

Increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate is not a disease for which treatment can be offered. The level of ESR in the blood, which has jumped due to infection or inflammation, will return to normal only after drug treatment that stops this process. The doctor prescribes antibiotics and antiviral drugs in order to stop the disease: when the treatment is effective, control monitoring of the blood shows normalization of the ESR.

When a child’s analysis shows insignificant deviations from the norm, it is possible, with the consent of the doctor, to use traditional medicine methods to increase ESR.

You can reduce the ESR to standard values by regularly giving your child beetroot dishes. Folk recipes also include natural honey and citrus fruits: this combination will also improve ESR. You can add nuts to porridge, especially almonds and peanuts, raisins and bran, and include other foods high in fiber in the menu, as well as foods of animal origin. Between meals, it is useful to drink herbal infusions; you can give pureed garlic with lemon juice.

Vitamin complexes also help normalize the functioning of a child’s body: what vitamins to take and in what quantities should be determined by the doctor.

When receiving the results of a child’s blood test, parents want to get a transcript as quickly as possible and understand whether everything is okay with the baby. Among other indicators, the result form contains ESR values. What is the norm for a newborn, a baby up to one year old, a child 2-3 years old and older? What ESR value indicates pathology? Why do deviations from the norm appear? Let's figure it out together.

What is ESR analysis and why is it performed?

ESR analysis is designed to determine the sedimentation rate of red blood cells - erythrocytes. When blood is taken for analysis, these bodies gradually begin to “stick together” and settle at the bottom of the tube. After 60 minutes, the sample separates into an almost transparent part on top and a dark, thick part on the bottom. The laboratory technician will enter the height of the transparent part in mm on the analysis form.

The condition, composition, level of viscosity and acidity of the blood have a direct impact on ESR indicators. According to the results of this study, it is possible to identify pathologies at the earliest stages, when external symptoms are almost invisible. ESR is a very sensitive indicator, almost irreplaceable in diagnosing diseases in newborns and infants.

Sometimes you can find the abbreviation ROE. It stands for erythrocyte sedimentation reaction. In fact, ROE is an outdated designation for ESR. Some doctors, mostly of the older generation, habitually use this very designation - ROE, but this should not mislead parents.

The ESR norm for children of different ages in the table

ESR in children depends on how old the child is. It should be taken into account that the level of ESR in a teenager also depends on his gender. Minor deviations from the norm often indicate poor nutrition, stress or a mild cold. In general, it is believed that the greater the deviation and the higher the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, the more serious the disease.

Different sources offer different limit values for normal ESR values in children, the range may become wider as they grow older. The ESR norm for children from birth to adolescence is shown in the table below. It should be remembered that each child’s body is individual, and only the doctor can make final conclusions about deviations in value.

For example, if the ESR of a 2-year-old child is 10, this is normal. If, according to the test results, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is 20, there is a reason to take the tests again and undergo a comprehensive examination to identify the pathological or physiological causes of such a significant deviation from the norm.

Methods for performing a blood test for ESR

Depending on what equipment and reagents are used in the laboratory when examining a blood sample, the analysis can be carried out using one of the three methods existing today - Panchenkov, Wintrobe or Westergren.

For young children, the first method is preferable - it is based on the use of capillary blood and is the least traumatic of all.

If the baby has high ESR levels as a result of a blood test using the Panchenkov method, the doctor will give a referral for a Westergren test. This method is more accurate and is based on the use of the patient's venous blood and sodium citrate. For identifying diseases, this technique is considered the most reliable.

Factors influencing the ESR value in a child

ESR is a sensitive indicator that changes under the influence of many factors, both pathological and physiological. If a child has suffered from acute respiratory viral infection, his ESR value will be increased within 4-6 weeks after recovery. The following factors also influence the ESR value:

increased physical activity;
stressful situations;
unbalanced diet;
helminths;
deficiency of vitamins and microelements;
decrease or increase in the number of red blood cells;
changes in blood viscosity or acidity;
Times of Day;
age (in children under one year of age, indicators are very different from normal for adults or adolescents);

Test results are influenced by many factors, so doctors sometimes ask patients for a repeat blood donation.

Why are the rates increasing and what diseases does this indicate?

An ESR value in a child’s blood exceeding 20 mm/hour (25, 30, 40 and above) indicates the development of a pathological process. Moreover, a value of 40 mm/hour is a sign of a serious illness that will require long-term treatment. An increased ESR in a child is more common than a decreased one. The indicator increases with the following diseases:

In what cases is increasing ESR considered safe?

An increase in the sedimentation rate of red blood cells is not always a consequence of diseases of internal organs or inflammatory processes in the child’s body. Sometimes we are talking about false positive test results. Non-pathological reasons that provoke an increase in ESR levels include:

an abundance of fatty foods in the diet of a nursing mother (for breastfeeding babies);
severe stress immediately before the collection of biomaterial (for example, if the child is afraid to take tests);
teething (see also:);
taking Paracetamol and its analogues (after using these medications, the test result will be unreliable);
poor diet (lots of fatty, smoked and salty foods in the child’s diet);
helminthic infestation;
vitamin deficiency, hypovitaminosis, lack of nutrients.

During teething, ESR levels are usually elevated

Reasons for low values

If the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is significantly lower than normal, this often indicates dehydration (see also:). The cause may be diarrhea, vomiting, hepatitis, epilepsy, blood diseases, and pathologies of the cardiovascular system. Sometimes breastfed babies don't get enough water at all - this is a common mistake that can also cause dehydration.

Reduced ESR levels are often observed in families that practice complete abstinence from animal foods. Another common cause of decreased red blood cell sedimentation rate is poisoning. You need to remember what the baby ate, check if he ate any medicines from the home medicine cabinet.

Low ESR values in the analysis may not be a consequence of the disease, but as a side effect of the treatment. Some medications have a strong effect on the reaction and composition of the blood of a child of any age (for example, calcium chloride or acetylsalicylic acid). The attending physician should warn parents about this effect.

How to bring the indicators back to normal?

Deviation of ESR values from the norm is not a disease, but a symptom. For this reason, spending time and effort on influencing the sedimentation rate and bringing it to normal values is not only pointless, but also dangerous for the health of children. The only sure way to normalize indicators is to identify and eliminate the cause that caused the deviations.

If the indicators are elevated and the child feels well, it makes sense to take the test again - perhaps the laboratory technician violated the rules for storing biomaterial or the research technology.

Deviations from the norm according to the results of both analyzes are a signal about the development of pathology in the body. You need to undergo an examination and begin treatment immediately. As a rule, when taking anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics, the ESR value is normalized.

Repeated monitoring will help determine the correctness of the diagnosis and the effectiveness of the therapeutic course. If after two weeks the values are close to normal, then the patient is on the mend.

If the deviation is not associated with a serious problem, but appears as a result of a lack of iron or the presence of fatty foods in the diet, then ESR levels can be reduced using decoctions based on linden and chamomile, which have an anti-inflammatory effect. Children can also be given tea with raspberries or lemon.

In order for the value to correspond to normal values, a number of simple rules must be followed:

lead a healthy lifestyle;
establish a diet and balance the child’s diet;
Take your baby for walks regularly and protect him from stressful situations;
The baby needs to be taught to do exercises or enrolled in a sports section.

When diagnosing diseases, doctors check the normal ESR level in the child’s blood. Not many people know what ESR is and how this indicator reflects a person’s health status. However, this analysis can reveal the presence of serious diseases in the early stages. What is ESR and for what reasons can it deviate from the norm in children? What is the normal ESR level in the blood of a child from zero to 18 years old in the table.

The normal ESR level in a child’s blood is:

ESR stands for erythrocyte sedimentation rate. As you know, blood consists of two parts: liquid - plasma and dense - red blood cells. During the test, blood is taken from a child from a vein or from a finger, placed in a measuring tube and diluted with a special drug that blocks blood clotting. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate is then monitored, measured in millimeters per hour. This result is the ESR.

It is important to know that each age has its own ESR norm. In a newborn baby, the ESR norm changes literally within a few days, so the indicators can differ dramatically. In an adult, the norm changes only in special cases, for example, pregnancy and taking medications.

Normal ESR rate for a child under one year of age

ESR can change depending on many factors, for example, the emotional state of the child. This is why the normal range is so wide. Below is the normal ESR rate for a child from birth to one year.

Child's age	ESR rate (mm/hour)
From 0 to 5 days	From 1 to 2.7
From 5 days to 9 days	From 2 to 4
From 9 days to 2 weeks	From 4 to 9
1 month	From 3 to 6
From 2 months to six months	From 5 to 8
From 7 months to 1 year	From 4 to 10

ESR norm from 1 year to 18 years

Child's age	ESR rate (mm/hour)
From 1 year to 2 years	From 5 to 9
From 2 to 5 years	From 5 to 12
From 3 to 8 years	From 6 to 11
From 9 to 12 years	From 3 to 10
From 13 to 15 years	From 7 to 12
From 16 to 18 years old	From 7 to 14

Reasons for increased ESR in a child

An elevated ESR in a child is a reason to seek medical examination. However, in order to make an accurate diagnosis, one ESR indicator is not enough; it is important to take other symptoms into account.

An increase in ESR may indicate the presence of some kind of inflammatory process or serious disease. But a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate does not always indicate illness. An increase in ESR can be affected by:

If all these factors are excluded, then the presence of a disease may indicate an increase in ESR. The reasons for increased ESR include:

Causes of low ESR in a child

In medical practice, a decrease in ESR is much less common than an increase. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate can be reduced by:

Heart diseases;
Hemophilia (anemia)
Exhaustion or dehydration;
Liver dysfunction;
Autoimmune diseases;
Poor circulation;
Changes in the acid-base balance in the body.

It is important to know!

Sometimes test results can be false. This occurs due to other factors that affect the speed of red blood cells. These include:

Excess weight;
Recent hepatitis B vaccination;
Taking vitamin A;
Kidney problems.

An increase or decrease in ESR itself has no symptoms. A child may feel quite normal if the ESR deviates from the norm. Each concomitant disease has its own symptoms that are worth paying attention to:

Thirst, drinking more water, and frequent urination can be symptoms of diabetes.
Enlarged lymph nodes, weakness and decreased immunity can be a sign of cancer.
Chest pain and cough with changes in the ESR norm indicate tuberculosis.
Viruses and infections are accompanied by: fever, headaches, shortness of breath.
Sometimes an increased or decreased ESR is simply an individual characteristic of the child.

After treating a disease that was accompanied by a change in ESR, you should not rush to do a repeat analysis. ESR may return to normal within 1-2 months.