ELEVATED ESR test results means which diagnosis? Angina perctoris Myocardial infarction or some other problem

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a type of blood test commonly used to screen for the presence of inflammation. Because the ESR or 鈥渟ed rate鈥?is directly related to certain blood proteins, and those blood proteins are associated with various diseases, the ESR can be one of the earliest indicators that something is wrong. An ESR test result is frequently abnormal (positive) long before other biochemical or physical signs indicate the presence of disease. Unfortunately, an abnormal ESR is not specific and cannot determine the cause of an illness. High levels may indicate heart attack, rheumatic fever, giant cell arteritis, severe anemia, cancer relapse or other conditions. Low levels may indicate congestive heart failure, sickle cell anemia or other conditions.

ESR tests are generally used as a screening tool when assessing for disease, or to monitor the progress of chronic diseases such as Hodgkin disease and other cancers. Regular ESR testing can also provide an early warning of relapse in some patients.

yes could be either

The ESR is an easy, inexpensive, nonspecific test that has been used for many years to help diagnose conditions associated with acute and chronic inflammation, including infections, cancers, and autoimmune diseases. ESR is said to be nonspecific because increases do not tell the doctor exactly where the inflammation is in your body or what is causing it, and also because it can be affected by other conditions besides inflammation. For this reason, ESR is typically used in conjunction with other tests.

ESR is helpful in diagnosing two specific inflammatory diseases, temporal arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica. A high ESR is one of the main test results used to support the diagnosis. It is also used to monitor disease activity and response to therapy in both of these diseases.