The norm of soe in the blood of a child and possible reasons for the deviation of the indicator. A child's blood test for ESR: reasons for the appointment and interpretation of the results ESR rate in newborns

ESR is one of the indicators determined by a general blood test. By its level, one can judge the state of health of the subject. If the ESR is greatly underestimated or overestimated, a pathology has clearly developed in the body. However, in children, this can sometimes be a variant of the norm. Let's figure out in which cases the deviation is really a cause for concern.

The ESR indicator is not considered separately from others - the number of leukocytes, erythrocytes and blood platelets.

What is SOE

ESR is short for erythrocyte sedimentation rate. After sampling, the blood is sent to the laboratory. There it is mixed with a special substance - an anticoagulant, which prevents clots from forming. Over time, two layers form in the test tube:

• Lower - settled erythrocytes. That's what they call red blood cells containing hemoglobin.
• Upper - plasma.

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate is determined by measuring the bottom layer every hour. The average change in the height of the column in millimeters over this period of time is the ESR.

Norm in children and adults

The normal level of this indicator changes with age. ESR norm in children (mm/hour):

• newborns - 0-2.8;
• 1 month - 2-5;
• 2-6 months - 4-6;
• 0.5-1 year - 3-10;
• 1-5 years - 5-11;
• 6-14 years - 4-12.

In newborn babies, as a rule, a low erythrocyte sedimentation rate is observed.

From the age of 14, differentiation by gender begins. Norm:

• 14-20 years old. Boys have 1-10. In girls - 2-15 mm / hour.
• 20-30 years for women - 8-15.
• From 30 years for women - 8-20.
• 20-60 years for men - 2-10.
• From 60 for men - 2-15.

Attention! During pregnancy, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate increases, therefore upper limit the norm increases to 45 mm/hour.

Causes of deviation from the norm

There are many reasons for the change in the rate of red cell sedimentation, and most of them are harmless. If there is a threat to the health or life of the child, then there will definitely be accompanying symptoms. Therefore, do not worry in vain if an increased ESR is found in a baby, but he feels great.

Even the time of the last meal or excessive body weight could affect the deviation from the norm.

Low ESR

Possible causes of low ESR:

• Thickening of the blood (erythrocytosis). This state accompanies at and .

Reduced rates may indicate dehydration.

• Congenital or acquired heart disease.
• Liver disorders.
• Decreased overall pH.
• Red brain tumor (erythremia), accompanied by an increase in the number of erythrocytes, platelets and leukocytes in the blood.
• Low fibrinogen level.

Despite the seriousness of the causes of low ESR in children, there is little cause for concern. Usually the rate drops with dehydration. Heart disease occurs only in 0.5-1% of children, and it is accompanied by symptoms: cardiopalmus, shortness of breath, edema. The remaining cases are either harmless and easily treated, or occur more frequently in adults than in children.

Attention! Pediatricians say that a low erythrocyte sedimentation rate can be a variant of the norm if there are no deviations from other indicators. At the same time, the child feels great, he has a good appetite and sleep.

High ESR

Very often, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate increases. There can be so many reasons for this that it is more convenient to distribute them into groups.

Norm variant

High ESR is the norm when factors are identified in which this indicator is always increased, and there is no threat to health:

• The age of the baby is 27-32 days or 2 years.
• Obesity.
• Treatment with dextran or.
• Taking vitamin A.
• Administering the hepatitis B vaccine.
• Low content of erythrocytes and.
• An increase in the concentration of proteins in the blood plasma with a constant level of fibrinogen.
• Avitaminosis.
• abundance fatty foods in the menu of a child or a nursing mother.

If teeth are cut, the ESR may increase.

Christina writes in a review:

“At a daughter from the age of two, the ESR is always slightly higher than normal. But the examination showed that she was healthy. Then pediatrician asked how the blood sampling process took place. It turns out that if a child is very afraid, cries and breaks out, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate can increase. But this does not affect health.

harmless reasons

Here we include non-life-threatening diseases, with adequate treatment, passing without complications and consequences:

• (usually enterobiasis or ascariasis).
• Inflammatory diseases (, bronchitis, otitis media and others ending in "-itis").
• Severe bruises and broken bones.

Fractures or injuries may affect the results of the analysis.

• Diseases of the joints and other connective tissues.
• Excess or lack of hormones thyroid gland(hyper- and hypothyroidism).
• Bronchial asthma and other autoimmune diseases.
• Allergy, shock (including anaphylactic).
• Psoriasis and.
• Infectious diseases of a bacterial or viral nature (ARVI, influenza) are the most common cause ESR growth.

Margarita writes:

“Sofia has allergies, so ESR is never below 20. At the appointment with the allergist, we are prescribed various drugs. We are treated with them for several days, and then we go to donate blood for analysis. The doctor said that we will focus on the drug that will cause a decrease in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate to normal. This will be proof of the effectiveness of the treatment.”

Causes dangerous to health and life

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate can be 30, 40 or more mm/hour in the following diseases:

• diabetes;
• tuberculosis;
• oncology (blood or organs);
• blood poisoning.

For your peace of mind, we enclose other symptoms of these diseases. If the baby does not have them, then do not start panicking. Although a full examination will not be superfluous.

With diabetes, the child often feels thirsty. He becomes irritable, the mass is rapidly decreasing. There is involuntary urination at night. Increasingly, skin infections are worrying, and teenage girls are also.

A symptom of diabetes is intense thirst.

With tuberculosis, children also lose weight. They experience general malaise, often complain of headaches. Appetite is getting worse, and in the evening the temperature rises to 37, maximum 37.5 degrees. With the further development of the disease, coughing and hemoptysis, pain in the chest region begins.

With oncological diseases, immunity decreases, the number of birthmarks increases. Weight is rapidly falling, malaise develops. Palpation reveals an increase in lymph nodes. In the later stages, pain and jaundice are added to the symptoms.

When blood is infected, the temperature rises sharply to 39-40 degrees, shortness of breath develops, the heart rate rises to 130-150 beats / min. The skin becomes icteric, it appears bubbles filled with blood. Bursting blood vessels in the eyeballs.

Symptom of blood poisoning heat, shortness of breath, strong heartbeat.

What to do with accelerated erythrocyte sedimentation in children

Calm! A high ESR is not a basis for making a diagnosis, but only a reason to conduct an additional examination. Even if the child has this figure of 50 mm / h, this does not mean that he is seriously ill. In most cases, another reason for the deviation from the norm is found or technical errors pop up during the analysis. If, after a full diagnostic study, no other symptoms are detected, they talk about the syndrome of increased ESR. This is a safe condition for health, but it requires monitoring by a doctor.

Only a doctor can make a correct diagnosis.

Diagnostics

To find out the cause of accelerated erythrocyte sedimentation, the doctor:

• prescribes another one (general or biochemical);
• directs to ;
• examines the lungs, kidneys and heart;
• examines and palpates (probes with hands) the child.
• asks parents.

The most common diagnosis after such a study is infectious or inflammatory disease. And it would be a mistake right away (and Dr. Komarovsky believes that in Russia they are often prescribed to children without reason). The fact is that viral and bacterial diseases are treated differently.

The doctor may prescribe a second retake of the tests.

Treatment

Komarovsky says that in order to choose a treatment strategy, it is necessary to carefully study the leukocyte formula (percentage various kinds leukocytes in the blood). It includes:

• neutrophils;
• eosinophils;
• basophils;
• monocytes;
• lymphocytes.

Correct decryption leukocyte formula help to identify the nature of the disease. Each type of leukocyte protects the body only from one "enemy". So, if the number of lymphocytes increased, then this is due to viral infection. And if the disease is bacterial, then there will be more neutrophils. With helminthiases, the number of monocytes increases.

The ESR indicator does not always give a reliable picture of health. At the beginning of the disease, it really rises sharply, but after the cure, it can remain high for several weeks and even months.

After any inflammation, the indicators remain elevated for a long time.

Therefore, a more informative research method has long been used abroad - an analysis of C-reactive protein, the level of which is influenced by much fewer factors. This is a protein that appears in the blood at the initial stage of the disease and disappears immediately after recovery. If not, the treatment was successful.

Angelina writes:

“My son is 2.8 years old. 4 months ago I had a strong flu. Since then, the ESR has been kept at 38 mm/h. It's very long, so I can't find my place. We take a blood test 2 times a month, but there is no improvement, although the child feels well. The doctor reassures, says that these are all the consequences of an infection.”

It is important to understand that there is no pill that would simply return the ESR to normal. The deviation of the indicator is not an independent disease, but a sign of damage to the body. You need to treat the cause that led to it. And to identify it, you will have to undergo additional examination.

Alisa Nikitina

The abbreviation ESR is well known to every doctor, because for more than a hundred years this indicator has been helping to diagnose many diseases - from infections to tumors. We are talking about the erythrocyte sedimentation rate - one of the characteristics of a general blood test, which is prescribed for both adults and children. It is useful for every patient to navigate the results of such a test, but this skill is especially useful for young parents who often worry about the health of their baby. Therefore, in this article we will talk about how to correctly decipher the results of a blood test for ESR in children.

What does "ESR" mean on a child's blood test form?

Red blood cells are the most numerous blood cells, and they account for the main "weight" of the main fluid of our body. If you add a little substance that prevents clotting (anticoagulant) to a test tube with blood, then after a while its contents will be divided into two clearly distinguishable layers: a red erythrocyte sediment and a transparent plasma with the rest of the blood cells.

Back at the beginning of the last century, a Swedish scientist named Robert Sanno Foreos first drew attention to the fact that the rate of erythrocyte precipitation differs between pregnant and non-pregnant women. Later, doctors found out that there are a lot of conditions in which erythrocytes sink to the bottom of the test tube faster or slower than normal. Therefore, with the help of such an analysis, doctors draw conclusions about the processes occurring in the human body. This indicator is especially important in pediatrics, because a child, especially in early age, can not tell in detail about the symptoms of malaise.

The essence of the phenomenon on which the measurement of ESR is based is that, under certain physiological and pathological conditions, the concentration of special proteins in the blood that can glue red blood cells together increases. As a result, red blood cells take on the appearance of coin columns (if you examine the analysis under a microscope). Clustered red blood cells become heavier and the rate of blood fractionation increases. If for some reason the cells become less than normal, then the ESR in the analysis will be reduced.

It's important to know!
No competent doctor will make a diagnosis only on the basis of a change in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. For this reason, in most cases, an ESR check is prescribed as part of a general or detailed blood test.

Why are children prescribed an ESR test?

Do not worry if the doctor writes your child a referral for a blood test that includes an ESR. This is a standard procedure that allows you to monitor the state of human health at any age - both in the presence of complaints and in their absence. Therefore, even if the children feel well, it is worth donating blood for ESR at least once a year.

The most common reason for visiting a pediatrician is childhood infections. And the ESR always changes during the inflammatory process that accompanies the struggle immune system with bacteria and viruses. For this reason, the doctor will definitely prescribe a general or detailed blood test, including ESR, if the child complains of a sore throat and runny nose, and also if he has a fever. This study is also carried out in cases where symptoms suggest a serious problem: appendicitis, internal bleeding, allergies, or a malignant tumor.

How to prepare for the procedure and what is it?

Preparation for manipulation plays a significant role in the reliability of the results of the ESR assessment. The fact is that proteins in the blood appear not only during inflammation, but also in some physiological situations - for example, immediately after eating, physical activity and as a result of stress.

Depending on the method by which the ESR will be determined, the nurse will take a blood sample from a finger or from a vein (and in infants, from the heel). If the analysis is carried out according to the Panchenkov method, then several milliliters of blood will be required. To get them, the specialist will prick the pad of the ring finger with a small needle or scarifier (it has fewer nerve endings than other fingers), and then quickly collect the blood that has come out into a special tube. After the end of the procedure, a cotton swab with a disinfectant solution should be applied to the wound for 5 minutes.

In the laboratory, the obtained blood sample will be combined with a solution of sodium citrate in a ratio of four to one, and then filled with a mixture of transparent vertical capillary. In an hour, using a special scale, it will be possible to determine how much erythrocytes have settled and calculate the ESR.

If the analysis of the ESR in a child is performed according to the Westergren method, then you will need to take blood from a vein. If this manipulation is performed by an experienced nurse, then pain will be as insignificant as with a prick in the finger. She will put a tourniquet on the child's arm, and then insert a needle into a vein on inside hands in the area elbow joint. Then the tourniquet will be removed, and the required amount of blood will be drawn into the substituted test tube in just a few seconds. If at this moment you are next to the child, try to divert his attention so that he does not see what is happening and is not afraid. At the end of the procedure, the nurse will press cotton wool to the wound and stick a strip of adhesive tape on top. This bandage can be removed after half an hour.

During the Westergren analysis, venous blood is also mixed with a derivative acetic acid and sodium citrate, and the resulting solution is filled in a test tube with a special division scale. As with the Panchenkov method, the ESR is assessed one hour after the start of the analysis. The Westergren method is considered more sensitive to an increase in ESR, so doctors often insist that venous blood be taken from a child for analysis.

Deciphering the results of the study of ESR in children

Interpretation of the ESR analysis is an individual process. AT different situations the results obtained can talk about the norm and the pathology, so the doctor will make a conclusion based on the overall clinical picture and the medical history of the child.

ESR norm in a child

Normal ESR in newborns is 2.0-2.8 mm / h, in babies up to two years old - 2-7 mm / h, from 2 to 12 years old - 4-17 mm / h, and after 12 years - 3- 15 mm/h.

In infants up to 6 months of age, ESR can briefly increase to 12-17 mm / h, which is associated with a change in the composition of the blood, and in some cases - with the period of eruption of the first teeth. And in girls, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is always somewhat higher than in boys - this disproportion persists in adults.

Why is ESR increased

The reasons why ESR may be higher than normal are divided into physiological and pathological. The first include stress, daily changes in blood composition (in the second half of the day, ESR is slightly higher), the state of recovery after an infectious disease (this indicator returns to normal with some delay), taking certain medicines, features of diet or drinking regimen, consequences physical activity and others.

However, more often the ESR analysis is increased due to the inflammatory process in the body. To change the indicator lead to:

• infection(tonsillitis, pneumonia, meningitis, tuberculosis, rubella, chickenpox, SARS, herpes, etc.);
• pathology of immunity rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, glomerulonephritis, etc.);
• endocrine diseases (pathology of the thyroid gland, diabetes mellitus, adrenal diseases);
• blood loss and other anemia;
• red pathology bone marrow, bone fractures;
• allergy;
• oncological diseases.

As already said, increase in ESR, which is not accompanied by any other changes in the child's blood test or changes in his well-being, is not a cause for concern and, moreover, a reason for prescribing drugs. Most likely, upon receipt of such a result, the doctor will advise you to repeat the analysis in 2-3 weeks, observing all the rules for preparing for the procedure. If the ESR indicator again exceeds the norm, do biochemical analysis blood, check the level C-reactive protein and analysis of feces for helminths.

It is interesting! Some children have a syndrome elevated ESR- a condition in which the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is kept at a level above 50 mm / h for a long time without any visible reasons. As a rule, in such cases, doctors try to conduct a thorough diagnosis in case there is a hidden serious illness. But if tests and examinations do not reveal deviations from the norm, then no treatment is prescribed for the syndrome of elevated ESR, recognizing it as an individual feature of the body.

Reasons for the decrease in ESR

Usually, a reduced ESR in children does not cause concern for doctors. However, such an analysis result may be a sign of an unbalanced diet of a baby with a lack of proteins or dehydration of the body (due to diarrhea or vomiting). Also, erythrocyte sedimentation slows down with some hereditary blood diseases and disorders in the circulatory system, but this is accompanied by a change in many indicators of a detailed blood test in a child at once.

ESR in a child is a useful parameter, which, however, has only an auxiliary value in diagnosis, indicating to the doctor the direction of the search or the correctness of actions in the treatment of a particular disease. Compliance with all the instructions of the pediatrician and regular testing will help you protect child health from serious dangers, as well as get rid of unnecessary anxiety.

Wednesday, 03/28/2018

Editorial opinion

In some forms, ESR is also referred to as ROE (“erythrocyte sedimentation reaction”) or, if the analysis was carried out using an imported apparatus, as ESR (from the English “erythrocyte sedimentation rate”). However, the interpretation of the results for all three options is carried out in the same way.

Reading 6 min. Views 2.9k. Published on 03.02.2018

A child's blood test can reveal many things. pathological changes occurring in the body. One of the important indicators is the erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

Let's talk today about which ESR indicators are the norm in children, and which ones indicate health problems.

What does the analysis say

For definitions of ESR the child takes venous or capillary blood. This indicator helps to identify the disease on early stage when the symptoms are not yet pronounced or absent.

It will not be possible to determine what kind of pathology develops in a small patient according to ESR. For this purpose, you will have to undergo an examination and pass additional tests.

Deviations in ESR do not require special therapy. This indicator returns to normal as soon as the underlying disease is identified and eliminated.

ESR: norm in children by age - table

Valid parameters this indicator each child is individual. They depend on age and gender. Also important is the emotional physical state baby before the test.

The slightest physiological change in the body will have an impact on the result. In this regard, the scope of the definition of the ESR norm is quite extensive.

Minor deviations from the indicated values ​​are not cause for concern. Pediatricians pay attention to this indicator if it is significantly higher or lower than normal.

An increase of more than 20 units indicates a dangerous pathological process in the baby's body. This situation calls for urgent medical examination, identifying and eliminating the root cause.

Due to the imperfection of metabolic processes in the body of newborns, their ESR indicators are minimal. As you get older, this figure also increases. The norm of ESR in the blood in older children has wider boundaries.

An excess of 40 units indicates severe violation in the body. This indicator requires immediate diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

How the analysis is done

For a child, this analysis is not dangerous, although unpleasant. After all, most children react painfully to the need for this procedure.

The material for the study is given in the morning, on an empty stomach. Blood is taken from a vein or a finger. In newborn babies, the material is taken from the heel.

When taking an analysis, it is important that the blood flows out of the wound on its own. If you press on your finger, rub it, then it will connect with the lymph and the result will be inaccurate.

ESR above normal

An increase in indicators does not always indicate a serious illness. Among the reasons leading to the excess of ESR standards, the following are distinguished:

• avitaminosis;
• active phase of teething;
• violation of the diet;
• taking some medicines in particular paracetamol;
• helminthic invasion;
• stress, an excited state of the nervous system.

Excess by several values ​​is not critical. But this is provided that the child is not worried about anything.

If the values ​​\u200b\u200bare much higher than the indicated norms, then this indicates a disease. To identify it, the doctor prescribes additional examinations: ultrasound diagnostics, biochemical research blood, urinalysis.

Here are a few diseases in which there is an increase in ESR values:

• pathologies of an infectious nature;
• allergic reactions;
• oncology;
• diabetes;
• anemia;
• hormonal disorders;
• breach of integrity skin(trauma, burns).

The rate of ESR in the blood in children can increase for many reasons. This analysis is, in a sense, a litmus test. He gives the green light for additional investigations if the doctor deems it necessary.

Reduced values

This option is less common than exceeding the values. But, identical to elevated rates, this result cannot be decisive in making a diagnosis. It only indirectly indicates violations and failures in the body.

Possible health problems may include:

• heart disease;
• poor circulation;
• hemophilia;
• liver pathology;
• change in acid-base balance;
• autoimmune diseases;
• exhaustion and dehydration of the body.

What exactly caused the decrease in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate will only be told by a general examination. Without additional laboratory and hardware studies, it is not possible to establish the exact cause.

False positive result

Yes, this happens too. Such a result cannot be considered reliable. There are a number of reasons why the ESR is higher than normal in a child.

Among them:

• poor kidney function;
• excess weight;
• recent vaccination against hepatitis B;
• the use of vitamin A;
• hypercholesterolemia.

Also important is the influence of violations of a technical nature that occurred during the diagnostic process.

Symptoms

Often, when the erythrocyte sedimentation rate changes, nothing bothers the child. And the pathology itself is detected only when scheduled examination. But it happens that the disease, against the background of changes in indicators, gives characteristic symptoms.

1. Diabetes causes increased thirst and consequently frequent urination. The body weight decreases and there is a risk of developing skin infections. With this pathology, thrush can often be observed.
2. With oncological processes, the baby is rapidly losing weight. Immunity decreases, weakness and fatigue appear. Also, this dangerous condition is evidenced by an increase in lymph nodes.
3. infectious and viral diseases provoke a rise in body temperature, headache. They will be indicated by shortness of breath, palpitations, as well as symptoms of general intoxication of the body.
4. Tuberculosis is characterized by cough, chest pain. Weight loss, malaise and frequent headaches are symptoms of this disease.

If the child has changes in the ESR, but there are no symptoms of the disease, and an additional examination did not reveal any violations, everything is in order. Perhaps this is just a physiological feature of the baby's body.

Features of the normalization of indicators

By itself, an increased or decreased erythrocyte sedimentation rate is not treated. To normalize the values, it is necessary to correctly diagnose the disease that caused the failure. After therapeutic measures aimed at getting rid of the pathology, the rate of ESR in the blood in children stabilizes.

But some diseases may have their own nuances that affect performance. For example, after infectious diseases, the values ​​return to normal after 1-2 months. Sometimes even a significant excess of the permissible values ​​\u200b\u200bdoes not indicate a disease. This may be due to physiological features organism.

Also, the indicators are influenced by the features of checking the analyzes of a certain medical center. Everyone has it medical institution your ways laboratory method studies, so results may vary. This is especially true for the analysis of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, the value of which is influenced by many reasons.

Conclusion

ESR, the norm in children, which is individual, cannot serve as an independent factor for making a diagnosis. It is always a pointer to indicate if there is cause for concern.

Even if the numbers are very different from the norm, you should not panic. The doctor will definitely prescribe additional examinations and establish the cause of the pathology.

Remember that after treatment, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate does not immediately normalize. Therefore, it is advisable to re-analyze a couple of months after recovery.

The reliability of the result will be influenced by a wide range of factors. This is the emotional state of the baby, and the intake of vitamins, and teething. It is important to stabilize the emotional background of the child before taking the test.

Dear blog visitors, have you had to deal with the problem of increased or decreased ESR values The child has? What did this result indicate in your case?

The most informative way to identify various diseases in a child is general analysis blood. One of its indicators is the rate of sedimentation (sedimentation) of erythrocytes.

Any deviations in the body can have a significant impact on it. In this case, it is important to know its normal values ​​for each age group of children, as well as the reasons why a child may have an increased or decreased ESR in the blood.

What is SOE

This indicator displays the rate of sedimentation of red blood cells for an hour.
It quantifies inflammatory processes caused by infection, as well as the development of neoplasms in the body.

Indicator characteristic:

• Any inflammation in the body provokes the accumulation of specific substances in the blood, which accelerate the process of aggregation (gluing) of red blood cells. In some diseases, these substances accumulate a lot, in others - less.
• A change in the ESR value can occur even before any symptoms of the disease appear.
• But usually there is a direct relationship between the presence of an inflammatory process in the body and an increased ESR.

For analysis, a substance that prevents blood clotting is added to the test blood, and left for 60 minutes.

At this time, the following reaction occurs:

• Erythrocytes, which are heavier than other formed elements of the blood, join together (aggregate) and settle to the bottom of the tube.
• Two layers are formed in the test tube with the test material; the top one is plasma, the liquid component of blood.
• After that, the height of the plasma layer is measured.
• This value (width) in millimeters per hour is the ESR.

Norms of ESR in the blood in children

In connection with the growth and formation of the child's body, the composition of his blood changes. The sex of the child in adolescence also has an influence.

ESR norms in children by age are shown in the table below.

In the case when the ESR indicators in a child are higher than normal by more than 10 mm / h (for example, if at 2-3 years old it is 32 mm / h), such a high value may indicate the presence of a serious infection or oncological disease, and then additional analyzes are required.

When they are lowered, as a rule, the child has problems with blood clotting.

Elevated ESR

Factors affecting the increase:

• Infections (, tonsillitis, sinusitis, poliomyelitis, influenza, pyelonephritis, cystitis, parotitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, inflammation of the thyroid gland).
• Diseases of the autoimmune system (arthritis, Bechterew's disease, lupus, diabetes mellitus, allergic diseases).
• Renal failure.
• Hypercholesterolemia (excess cholesterol synthesis).
• Extreme obesity (increased fibrinogen level).
• The presence of tumor neoplasms (for any).
• Syndrome of accelerated (increased) ESR. If the patient does not confirm the presence of any inflammation in the body, rheumatic diseases or tumors.
• Errors in the analysis (there are cases when the tube deviates from the vertical position).

You must also take into account the following data:

• If the level of this single indicator is still elevated and the predicted diagnosis, when considering all other possible factors, has not been confirmed, and the state of health remains good and vigorous, then such an increase does not need separate treatment.
• ESR may remain elevated for a short time even after recovery.
• In oncological pathologies, it remains at a high level for a long period.

Did you know? An increase in this indicator does not always indicate the presence of inflammation or serious illnesses in the child's body. In this case, a false positive diagnosis may occur.

The cause of a false positive diagnosis may be:

• Teething;
• Helminthiasis;
• Avitaminosis;
• Adolescence (in girls, the rate is higher than in boys);
• Time of day (increases from 13 to 18 hours);
• Stress;
• Vaccination;
• Taking medications (for example, antipyretics containing paracetamol);
• Intoxication;
• Injuries due to broken bones or damage to soft tissues;
• Fatty food.

Did you know? In this case, after the recovery of the body after such a short-term ailment, as a rule, the ESR level returns to normal values, as may be evidenced by the results of repeated analyzes.

Decreased ESR

Factors affecting the decline in the indicator:

• A benign tumor that increases the number of red blood cells in the blood (polycythemia).
• Thrombohemorrhagic syndrome (poor blood clotting).
• Congenital disorders of blood coagulation (dysfibrinogenemia, afibrinogenemia).
• Heart failure.
• Treatment with valproic acid (used for epilepsy).
• Treatment with low molecular weight dextran (plasma substitution solution).
• Cachexia (extreme exhaustion of the body, characterized by general weakness, significant weight loss).
• Refusal of food of animal origin.
• How side effect from treatment.
• Technical shortcomings in the analysis (testing more than 2 hours after blood sampling; cooling of blood samples).

• If the analysis of the sedimentation rate and the results of additional studies agree, the doctor has the opportunity to confirm or exclude the suspected diagnosis. However, a normal result does not exclude that the disease is still present.
• If ESR is the only increased rate in the analysis, and there are no other symptoms, the specialist cannot make an accurate diagnosis. In this case, after some time, a second study is prescribed to make an accurate diagnosis.
• To normalize this indicator, the doctor prescribes a treatment corresponding to the disease (for bacterial infections, it can be an antibiotic, for viral infections, an antiviral drug, for allergic reactions – antihistamines and so on).
• Any, even minor stress can affect the reliability of the data obtained from the analysis. Therefore, it is not carried out immediately after x-rays, physiotherapy procedures, prolonged crying of the child and after eating.
• Blood sampling for analysis is done in the morning, on an empty stomach, avoiding any emotional stress on the baby.
• In most cases, the indicator returns to normal after recovery.
• Preventive examination of the child for the presence of diseases is recommended to be carried out at least once a year.

Along with the results of the analysis, the following should be taken into account:

• Child's health history;
• Results of other examinations (urinalysis, advanced blood count, lipid analysis, C-reactive protein test).

Important! In case of non-compliance with the norm, only the doctor can prescribe treatment; don't give it to your baby medicines, so you can do even more damage.

ESR norm in children by age - video

The study of erythrocyte sedimentation rate is inextricably linked with a general blood test. Therefore, it is worth carefully studying all the factors affecting this indicator. Doctor E. Komarovsky talks about this in detail in the next video.

Regardless of the age and gender of the child, parents should remember that his body is constantly under the influence of various adverse factors: seasonal colds, stress, an unbalanced diet. They directly affect the body, in particular, the qualitative and quantitative composition of blood elements.

The study of ESR, along with other tests, can help determine the presence of an infection or other pathology in a child and choose the right treatment.

And in what cases did your baby have this indicator increased or decreased? How long has the deviation been observed? What measures did the doctor take to normalize it? Please write in the comments.

Modern medicine opens up new frontiers of thorough, most reliable diagnosis of diseases. It is worth noting that a general blood test is elementary, but at the same time one of the most informative ways to find out about the presence of diseases.

The ESR indicator helps to determine possible deviations in the health of both children and adults.

Procedure

Biomaterial for analysis is taken from a finger. In some cases, venous blood is needed. The procedure itself must be carried out on an empty stomach. The ideal time for the last meal is 8-10 hours. In order for the results to show the most accurate result, it is necessary to minimize, it is better to completely exclude the use of fried, rather fatty foods two days before the test. A preliminary consultation with a specialist is necessary if you took medication before taking the tests.

Index

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate, in other words, the ESR, is determined using certain procedures. The interaction mechanism itself is as follows. Erythrocytes gradually sink to the bottom of the dish, then react with anticoagulants. Over a short period of time, the composition decomposes into a transparent plasma and an erythrocyte sediment. The transparent layer determines the speed of movement, lowering of the components for an hour period of time.

This process is compared with the body of a child, in particular, the situation characterizes the sedimentation of erythrocytes in the area of ​​vertical, blood vessels. This indicator becomes the basis for high-quality diagnostics. possible diseases. This is especially true in cases where there is no characteristic, defining symptomatology. Venous, capillary blood is used for diagnosis.

Depending on the level of the indicator, you can define a series important processes, changes:

• reveal the latent, asymptomatic development of certain diseases;
• with its help make a more accurate diagnosis;
• the response during the course of treatment is determined. For example, with the prescribed course of tuberculosis therapy.

Norm

ESR in a child depends to a greater extent on the age category. It is also important to take into account the physiological difference between the performance of girls and boys. This situation is determined by the number of red blood cells. The female sex has relatively fewer of them, the rate of their settling is correspondingly higher than that of men.

In very young children, the indicator can reach 0 - 2, the maximum normal value is 2.8. If the child has reached 1 month, then 2-5; 2-6 months - 4-6. Up to a year, the indicator increases, becomes from 3 to 10 mm / h. Until the age of five, ESR becomes 5-11, up to 14 years - 4-12 mm / h.

Fluctuations in the physiological norm, deviations depend to a greater extent on the method of determination. The maximum line of the indicator is 20 mm / h. If this rule is violated, human health problems are observed.

Important! There is a possibility of having a pathology with a normal indicator. ESR is considered comprehensively, together with other indicators. Only in this way is it possible to accurately diagnose the disease, prescribe an effective course of therapy.

Deviation and increase in the indicator

Most often normal level SEA indicates the normal functionality of the child circulatory system. Any deviations are possible not only in the presence of a pathological process. But also in the case of individual characteristics, or other factors affecting the child's body.

With a decrease in performance, and this does not happen so often, there is:

• certain types of tumors of a malignant or benign nature;
• the presence of viral hepatitis;
• disturbances in the field of normal, metabolic processes;
• dehydration of the body;
• prolonged diarrhea;
• bouts of vomiting, which have a regular nature of manifestations;
• the presence of dystrophic heart disease.

Attention! Reduced ESR is considered normal if the child has not reached 2 weeks.

Due to the process of violation of protein structures in the blood, this indicator increases. ESR above normal may indicate possible inflammatory processes. The specificity of this process is as follows: the content of proteins in the blood of a child increases. As a result of this process, the adhesion of erythrocytes is accelerated, they settle in a shorter period of time. Because of this clinical picture there is an increase in ESR.

7 main reasons for the increase in ESR

1. there are acute inflammatory processes;
2. possible allergic reactions;
3. ARVI, sore throat, or flu is present;
4. intestinal, various infectious diseases, among the possible causes, the process of incomplete recovery from a previous infectious disease is also distinguished;
5. with injuries, or frequent stressful situations;
6. in the presence of ascariasis, sepsis, possible autoimmune diseases;
7. in cases of diagnosis different forms tuberculosis, oncological diseases, the ESR indicator increases. The situation is explained by tissue decay.

An increased level of the indicator in infants is observed in the case of:

• improper, unbalanced nutrition of the mother of the child. By eating fatty, high-calorie foods, mother's milk affects the baby;
• drugs, in particular ibuprofen, paracetamol, or similar drugs;
• teething process;
• in rare cases, there is a syndrome of elevated ESR. This situation is due to the individual characteristics of the baby.

Deviations are either very small, or they become more significant. Provokes high jumps in the indicator of the presence of influenza, or SARS; fungal infectious diseases. This list includes viral hepatitis, pyelonephritis, cystitis, possible bronchitis.

Important! There are certain conditions when analyzes show false results. Thus, the presence of deviations is not a confirmation of the presence of pathological changes in the body.

The results will show a false ESR in the following cases:

• obesity, the presence of excess weight in a child;
• the process of recovery after an illness;
• with individual, allergic reactions;
• violation of the rule to go to the analysis procedure on an empty stomach provokes incorrect end results;
• critical days;
• technical errors;
• the use of a vaccine;
• the use of vitamin complexes, in particular, the excess state of vitamin A. With the introduction of dextran, the situation is similar.

In case of deviation in the direction of decrease or increase, it is important to take into account the condition of the child, pay attention to individual characteristics and presence of complaints. It is necessary to carry out additional examinations for exact definition the presence or absence of diseases of the baby.

Excess normal more than 15 points indicates a deviation. Such a process should not go unnoticed, it is worthwhile to undertake their exact identification in the near future, then undergo a course of therapy.

It should be noted that the normalization process can take a long period of time. That is, there is no definite treatment in the presence of jumps. There is a reason that created this situation, entailed violations of this kind. The indicator gradually stabilizes without intervention, if the source of the disease is eliminated.

Depending on the severity, the severity of the disease, the specialist prescribes a course of treatment. If necessary, the use of antifungal or antiviral drugs is additionally recommended.

Conclusion

Do not consider only the ESR indicator. For an accurate, correct diagnosis, an integrated approach is used. It is important to take into account the fact that in certain cases the indicator becomes higher than the norm for no good reason. For example, when recovering from a course of therapy, a decrease in the rate of the indicator is observed.

This indicator has a high threshold of sensitivity. It is impossible to determine the exact cause purely by one indicator. But, ESR is the basis, thanks to which it is possible to prevent asymptomatic course of diseases.