{"id":"esr","name":"Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)","shortName":"ESR","aliases":["SED RATE BY MODIFIED WESTERGREN","Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate","ESR","Sed Rate","Sedimentation Rate","Sed Rate, Westergren","Sedimentation Rate-Westergren","Sedimentation Rate by Modified Westergren","ESR, Westergren","Westergren ESR","Sed Rate (ESR)","Sed Rate (Automated)","Erythrocyte Sed Rate","VSG","BSG","VHS","Eritrosedimentación","Velocidade de Hemossedimentação"],"abbreviations":["ESR","BSG","VSG","VHS"],"loinc":[{"code":"4537-7","primary":true},{"code":"30341-2","primary":false},{"code":"82477-1","primary":false}],"specimen":"whole-blood","units":[{"ucum":"mm/h","display":"mm/hr"}],"referenceRanges":[{"population":"Men, 18–49","low":0,"high":15,"unit":"mm/h","unitDisplay":"mm/hr","note":"Westergren method. Written as 'less than 15' by Cleveland Clinic and '0 to 15' by Testing.com (which cites StatPearls). An independent 2025 study of Westergren results in an Italian hospital population found 1 to 14 mm/hr for men aged 18 to 69. Labs set their own limits, so use the range printed on your report.","sources":[{"title":"Sedimentation Rate (ESR): What It Measures & Test Results","url":"https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/17747-sed-rate-erythrocyte-sedimentation-rate-or-esr-test","publisher":"Cleveland Clinic","year":2026},{"title":"ESR Blood Test: Order, Results & What They Mean","url":"https://www.testing.com/tests/erythrocyte-sedimentation-rate-esr/","publisher":"Testing.com (OneCare Media), citing StatPearls"},{"title":"Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Reference Intervals Determined via VES-MATIC 5 and CUBE 30 Touch with Respect to the Westergren Method","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12071782/","publisher":"Diagnostics (MDPI)","year":2025}]},{"population":"Men, 50+","low":0,"high":20,"unit":"mm/h","unitDisplay":"mm/hr","note":"Westergren method. The usual upper limit rises with age, and these ranges are approximate. The same 2025 study found 1 to 22 mm/hr for men aged 70 and older, and an older 1967 study it quotes reported 0 to 22 mm/hr for men aged 50 to 69.","sources":[{"title":"Sedimentation Rate (ESR): What It Measures & Test Results","url":"https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/17747-sed-rate-erythrocyte-sedimentation-rate-or-esr-test","publisher":"Cleveland Clinic","year":2026},{"title":"ESR Blood Test: Order, Results & What They Mean","url":"https://www.testing.com/tests/erythrocyte-sedimentation-rate-esr/","publisher":"Testing.com (OneCare Media), citing StatPearls"},{"title":"Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Reference Intervals Determined via VES-MATIC 5 and CUBE 30 Touch with Respect to the Westergren Method","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12071782/","publisher":"Diagnostics (MDPI)","year":2025}]},{"population":"Women, 18–49","low":0,"high":20,"unit":"mm/h","unitDisplay":"mm/hr","note":"Westergren method. The 2025 study above found 1 to 22 mm/hr for women aged 18 and older, so limits between 20 and 24 mm/hr appear in the literature. These ranges do not apply during pregnancy, when ESR normally rises, especially in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters.","sources":[{"title":"Sedimentation Rate (ESR): What It Measures & Test Results","url":"https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/17747-sed-rate-erythrocyte-sedimentation-rate-or-esr-test","publisher":"Cleveland Clinic","year":2026},{"title":"ESR Blood Test: Order, Results & What They Mean","url":"https://www.testing.com/tests/erythrocyte-sedimentation-rate-esr/","publisher":"Testing.com (OneCare Media), citing StatPearls"},{"title":"Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Reference Intervals Determined via VES-MATIC 5 and CUBE 30 Touch with Respect to the Westergren Method","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12071782/","publisher":"Diagnostics (MDPI)","year":2025}]},{"population":"Women, 50+","low":0,"high":30,"unit":"mm/h","unitDisplay":"mm/hr","note":"Westergren method. The usual upper limit rises with age, and these ranges are approximate. The 2025 study found one interval for all women 18 and older (1 to 22 mm/hr), while the 1967 study it quotes reported 0 to 32 mm/hr for women aged 50 to 69, so published limits for this group span about 22 to 32 mm/hr.","sources":[{"title":"Sedimentation Rate (ESR): What It Measures & Test Results","url":"https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/17747-sed-rate-erythrocyte-sedimentation-rate-or-esr-test","publisher":"Cleveland Clinic","year":2026},{"title":"ESR Blood Test: Order, Results & What They Mean","url":"https://www.testing.com/tests/erythrocyte-sedimentation-rate-esr/","publisher":"Testing.com (OneCare Media), citing StatPearls"},{"title":"Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Reference Intervals Determined via VES-MATIC 5 and CUBE 30 Touch with Respect to the Westergren Method","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12071782/","publisher":"Diagnostics (MDPI)","year":2025}]}],"review":{"status":"ai-verified","label":"AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert review","lastReviewed":"2026-10-03"},"summary":"A simple blood test that shows how fast red blood cells settle in a tube. A faster rate can be a sign of inflammation somewhere in the body.","url":"https://bloodtesttracker.com/markers/esr","notice":"Information, not medical advice. Ranges differ between labs, so the range on your own report is the one your result is judged against."}