# Sedimentation Rate?



## Desperate_Hashi (Apr 12, 2013)

I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis (dx: 12/11) and am not currently taking any medication. My endo says my TSH is normal. I have had thryoid related symptoms since 2007 when I initially went to an endocrinologist. Long story short, the endo said nothing was wrong with me.

I have been compiling all of my medical records over the last few days and received my blood work from 2008 and 2009 from an old PCP. *In 2008, I had a sedimentation rate of 35mm/hr and in 2009, 50mm/hr.* I am 25 years old so it should be less than 20mm/hr. My PCP never evaluated it further...he wasn't a very good doctor overall hence the switch.

Does anybody else with Hashi have a high sed rate? Thanks


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Desperate_Hashi said:


> I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis (dx: 12/11) and am not currently taking any medication. My endo says my TSH is normal. I have had thryoid related symptoms since 2007 when I initially went to an endocrinologist. Long story short, the endo said nothing was wrong with me.
> 
> I have been compiling all of my medical records over the last few days and received my blood work from 2008 and 2009 from an old PCP. *In 2008, I had a sedimentation rate of 35mm/hr and in 2009, 50mm/hr.* I am 25 years old so it should be less than 20mm/hr. My PCP never evaluated it further...he wasn't a very good doctor overall hence the switch.
> 
> Does anybody else with Hashi have a high sed rate? Thanks


Just pushing this up so you don't get lost is the rush here. I personally have not had this experience.


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

ESR is one of the routine tests run on people like me with autoimmune arthritis, though some people [i.e., me] never go out of the normal range.

ESR or "sed rate" is a measure of direct inflammation, though CRP is a more accurate test for inflammation.

ESR is increased in infections such as osteomyelitis, pelvic inflammatory disease [75%], other inflammatory diseases [e.g., temporal arteritis, polymyalgia rheumatic, rheumatic fever, malignant neoplasms, paraproteinemias, anemia, pregnancy, chronic renal failure, GI disease [ulcerative colitis, regional ileitis].

Not associated with thyroid disease that I know of. Perhaps because the inflammation in thyroid disease is not as pronounced as in the diseases listed above.


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## Desperate_Hashi (Apr 12, 2013)

Thank you! I appreciate your response.

I now have a rheumatologist who ordered an ESR. Having the blood drawn on Friday. Hopefully it is not still elevated.


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

Standard routine for them to run ESR......in my case I think it's a waste because mine is always normal and I have a number of autoimmune inflammatory arthritic diseases. BUT my CRP is always elevated when I flaring.

Call the rheumatologist's office before the blood is drawn and ask if you can add CRP-*Qualitative* to the lab order. _[I'm a bit more brazen. I call and say, "I'm adding CRP and if the doctor doesn't want me to add it to the lab order, you should call me back before 9AM tomorrow morning."]_

BTW - I have had blood drawn at LEAST once every three months over the last 20+ years.


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