A sedimentation rate is a common blood test that is used to detect and monitor inflammation in the body. It is performed by measuring the rate at which red blood cells (RBCs) settle in a test tube. The sedimentation rate is simply how far the top of the RBC layer has fallen in one hour, increasing with more inflammation. Read more: Sedimentation Rate Article
Multimedia: Slideshows, Images & Quizzes
Related Disease Conditions
-
Staph Infection (Staphylococcus Aureus)
Staphylococcus or Staph is a group of bacteria that can cause a multitude of diseases. Staph infections can cause illness...
-
Appendicitis (Symptoms, Treatments, and Surgery)
Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix. Appendicitis often causes sings and symptoms such as: Abdominal pain in...
-
Headache
Headaches can be divided into two categories: primary headaches and secondary headaches. Migraine headaches, tension headaches,...
-
Gout (Gouty Arthritis)
Buildup of uric acid crystals in a joint causes gouty arthritis. Symptoms and signs include joint pain, swelling, heat, and...
-
Raynaud's Phenomenon
Raynaud's phenomenon is characterized by a pale-blue-red sequence of color changes of the digits, most commonly after exposure to...
-
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints, the tissue around the joints,...
-
Arthritis
Arthritis is inflammation of one or more joints. When joints are inflamed they can develop stiffness, warmth, swelling, redness...
-
Stroke (Signs, Symptoms, Warning Signs)
A stroke is an interruption of the blood supply to part of the brain caused by either a blood clot (ischemic) or bleeding...
-
Sjogren's Syndrome
Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease involving the abnormal production of extra antibodies that attack the glands and...
-
Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammation of the colon. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding....
-
Fatigue (Symptoms, Causes, Treatment)
Fatigue can be described in various ways. Sometimes fatigue is described as feeling a lack of energy and motivation (both mental...
-
Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis, a disease resulting from chronic inflammation, causes small lumps (granulomas) to develop in a great range of body...
-
Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a form of cancer that develops in plasma cells, the white blood cells that make antibodies. Symptoms include...
-
Polymyalgia Rheumatica
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a disorder of the muscles and joints that causes pain and stiffness in the arms, neck, shoulders,...
-
Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or SLE)
Systemic lupus erythematosus is a condition characterized by chronic inflammation of body tissues caused by autoimmune disease....
-
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that causes chronic inflammation of the spine. The tendency to develop ankylosing...
-
Costochondritis and Tietze Syndrome
Costochondritis is inflammation of the cartilage where the ribs attach to the sternum. Tietze syndrome affects the same region of...
-
Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis is a disease that causes skin and joint inflammation. Symptoms include painful, stiff, and swollen joints,...
-
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial illness, which is spread by ticks when they bite the skin. Initially the disease affects the skin...
-
Still's Disease
Still's disease (systemic-onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis) is a disorder characterized by inflammation with high fever...
-
Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA or Wegener's Granulomatosis)
Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA or Wegener's granulomatosis) is a condition that usually affects young or middle-aged...
-
Scleritis
Scleritis is inflammation of the white part of the eye. It may be caused by a serious underlying condition, such as an autoimmune...
-
Rheumatic Fever
Rheumatic fever is a disease that sometimes occurs after a group A streptococcal infection of the throat. Symptoms and signs...
-
Osteomyelitis
Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone. Potential causes include injections around the bone, fractures that puncture the skin,...
-
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS or SEID)
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID) is a debilitating and complex disorder...
-
Connective Tissue Disease
Connective tissue disease is when the body's connective tissues come under attack, possibly becoming injured by inflammation....
-
Reactive Arthritis
Reactive arthritis is a chronic, systemic rheumatic disease characterized by three conditions, including conjunctivitis, joint...
-
Septic Arthritis
Septic arthritis, or infectious arthritis, is infection of one or more joints by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Symptoms and signs...
-
Churg-Strauss Syndrome
Churg-Strauss Syndrome is a form of vasculitis. Vasculitis is an inflammation of the blood vessels. Symptoms of Churg-Strauss...
-
Valley Fever
Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) is a disease caused by the inhalation of the Coccidioides immitis or C. posadasii fungus....
-
Relapsing Polychondritis
Relapsing polychondritis is an uncommon, chronic disorder of the cartilage that is characterized by recurrent episodes of...
-
Fungal Arthritis
Fungal arthritis is inflammation of a joint by a fungus that has invaded the body and is growing in the normally sterile joint....
-
Rheumatoid Arthritis vs. Fibromyalgia
Though rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and fibromyalgia have similar symptoms, RA is an autoimmune disease and fibromyalgia is a...
-
Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA or Temporal Arteritis)
Giant cell arteritis, inflammation of blood vessel walls, affects 10%-15% of polymyalgia rheumatica patients. Symptoms of giant...
-
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis)
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or JRA) annually affects one child in every thousand. There are six...
-
Takayasu Disease
Takayasu disease (also referred to as Takayasu arteritis) is a chronic inflammation of the aorta and it's branch arteries....
-
Weber-Christian Disease
Weber-Christian disease is a rare inflammatory disease that affects the body's fat tissues. It's also known as relapsing febrile...
Treatment & Diagnosis
Prevention & Wellness
Subscribe to MedicineNet's Arthritis Newsletter
By clicking Submit, I agree to the MedicineNet's Terms & Conditions & Privacy Policy and understand that I may opt out of MedicineNet's subscriptions at any time.
