sed rate 20

[Twopies]

I’m sure this question has been asked many times but alas, I can’t find what I’m looking for. 6 months ago my Sed rate was 9; now it’s 20. Should I be concerned? My doctor surely wasn’t at all. I have chronic pain (unrelated to pmr) and soreness and stiffness related to steroid myopathy and my stupid sprained ankle that isn’t healing. If my doctor is unconcerned, then I shouldn’t be either, right? Thoughts?

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

ESR can fluctuate - and can be caused by many things….your other issues probably, and certainly the sprained ankle to blame….

Get it checked again when your ankle is better, and you’ll probably find it has gone back down.

The only time we get concerned is if it’s rising - and you have PMR symptoms ….

[PMRpro Ambassador]

If it is solely related to your PMR then yes, you should be concerned as it is a rising trend and could suggest there may be a flare hatching. Whatever your lowest achieved is what you aim for -higher could mean increased inflammation. However, if it is raised without PMR symptoms, less to be concerned about as ESR is so no-specific all sorts of things can raise it.

When did you sprain your ankle? The damaged tissues are likely to raised the CRP and that will, in turn, raise the ESR.