ABSTRACT

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate is a time-honored, frequently used, simple and cheap, although not sensitive and specific, blood test which assesses the degree of erythrocyte aggregation mediated by acute phase proteins, such as fibrinogen and immunoglobulins. In our study, we aimed to retrospectively analyze diseases in which erythrocyte sedimentation rate exceeded 100 mm/hour in patients hospitalized at the Department of Internal Medicine of Gulhane Military Medical Academy between 1992 to 2005. There were 797 patients with an erythrocyte sedimentation rate higher than 100 mm/hour. Of these, 475 were male (59.6%) and 322 were female (40.4%). Mean age of the patients was 49.10±22.99 (14-96) years. Mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 119.30±16.43 (100-200) mm/hour (118.39±16.23 mm/hour in males and 120.64±16.65 mm/hour in females). There were 232, 2 and 2 patients with erythrocyte sedimentation rates between 100 to 109 mm/hour (29.1%), 170 to 179 mm/hour and 190 to 200 mm/hour, respectively. When the distribution of increased erythrocyte sedimentation rates was analyzed according to diseases, rheumatological diseases were the most common (22.5%), and cardiovasculary diseases were the least common (3.0%). The highest erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 200 mm/hour in a 77-year-old male with lung carcinoma in 1993. In female patients the highest erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 190 mm/hour in a 43-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus (complicated with diabetic foot and renal failure) and urinary tract infection in 1995.