Preferred Sample Type
Suitable Specimen Types
- EDTA Whole Blood
Specimen Transport
Standard transport to laboratorySample Preparation
NoneTurnaround Time
6 hoursSample Stability
4°C for 48 hoursESR
General Information
ESR should be used for suspected cases of Temporal or Giant Cell arteritis. CRP is the test of choice for screening for inflammatory-based increase in acute phase proteins.
Notes
Limitations
The ESR is influenced by age, sex, menstrual cycle and drugs (e.g. corticosteroids and the contraceptive pill). It is especially low (0-1mm) in polycythaemia, hypofibrinogenaemia and congestive cardiac failure. Artificially low results can be seen in patients with red cell abnormalities such as spherocytosis, poikilocytosis or sickle cell disease due to the inability of red cells to form rouleaux. Caution should be given to elevated results in patients with anaemia.
The procedures used to determine the ESR cannot be calibrated as they are susceptible to a variety of errors (temperature, hematocrit, erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume, plasma viscosity, etc.).
This test requires 1ml of whole blood. Please ensure samples are adequately filled. Paediatric tubes cannot be processed.
Specifications
- EQA Scheme?: Yes
- EQA Status: NEQAS