Uses of Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate in Allergy/Immunology

Abstract

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), one of the original tests of modern medicine, is a relatively simple procedure that continues to be used in evaluating medical conditions. Its function in the allergist/clinical immunologist's practice is to assess patients with an unusual presentation of a normally encountered condition for an underlying disorder, e.g., a severe asthmatic with Churg Strauss syndrome. It is also used to identify potential etiologies of some disorders, such as vasculitis causing chronic urticaria. It is neither completely sensitive nor specific for diagnosing any disorder; thus, it is adjunctive to the history, physical exam, and other laboratory and radiological studies. The ESR does not have a role in assessing uncomplicated atopic conditions.