Indicators of ESR in the blood of a child

Content:

1. Change in ESR norm from birth to one year of age
2. Change in ESR norm from one year to adolescence
3. Reasons for increased ESR in a child
4. Bringing ESR to normal

← Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in women and men

Method for determining the erythrocyte sedimentation rate according to Westergren →

For parents, if the baby's ESR exceeds the normal limits, it is a cause for concern. It happens that a child’s ESR rises to 40. And what should you do in this case? Firstly, the age of the children must be taken into account.

Change in ESR norm from birth to one year of age

Until the age of four weeks, an ESR of no more than 2.5 units is considered normal in an infant. In a one-month-old baby, the ESR may increase to 3 units. The ESR limit for a six-month-old baby ranges from two to six units. What if the child’s blood ESR is elevated? For example, jumped to forty? Undoubtedly, this indicates serious health problems: the active development of inflammation, suspicion of a dangerous infection. This is an alarm bell indicating the need to diagnose the disease and begin treatment.

An increased ESR in a child indicates the occurrence of an inflammatory process in the body

The norm of ESR in children under one year of age depends on the age of the baby. The lower limit remains unchanged throughout the first year of life, and the upper limit gradually increases, reaching 7 units by the age of one year.

Important: If all hematological test parameters are within normal limits, and ESR in children slightly exceeds its limits, then there is no cause for concern. But, if the ESR increases by 10 mm/hour or more, this means that an inflammatory process is underway in the child’s body.

Roe in a blood test: normal, reasons for its increase in children and adults

• Be a Weasel | Thank you mom!
• MENU
• April 10, 2020
• After some time, hair loss will stop and the woman will be able to enjoy motherhood

• Newborn's first bath
• The benefits and harms of children's jumpers
• Hernia of the white line of the abdomen in a child
• Examination of phonemic awareness in children

How to get tested

A general blood test is a mandatory laboratory test. It shows not only ESR.

The study determines the number of red blood cells, platelets and leukocytes, hemoglobin level and hematocrit.

In order for the test to be accurate, the sick child should prepare to donate blood. The main condition is to refuse food at least 4 hours before donating biological material.

Capillary and venous blood is suitable for research. In the first case, blood is taken from a finger (usually the left hand). The skin is pre-treated with cotton wool moistened with alcohol.

Using a special needle, a small puncture (about 2 mm in size) is made, after which the first drops of blood are removed.

Then, using a special adapter, blood is taken by gravity from the finger and poured into a test tube.

All materials and instruments used must be sterile. The tubes are labeled and sent to the laboratory. After the manipulation, a cotton ball with an antiseptic is applied to the finger. The technique for collecting capillary blood for children over 1 year of age and adults is the same.

Important information: What do low leukocytes mean in a blood test in women (reasons for low levels)

Normal blood sugar levels after meals in women, men and children

Venous blood can be taken from the baby. A tourniquet is first applied to the forearm. Its free ends should be directed upward, and its loops - downward.

The tourniquet is applied to the fabric (shirt, jacket) so as not to damage the skin. The pulse on the radial artery should be preserved. The puncture site must be wiped with a cotton ball and alcohol.

The needle is inserted into the elbow at an angle of 45º, after which the angle is reduced and it is advanced along the blood vessel.

The healthcare worker's index finger should be on the cannula, and the rest should be on top of the cylinder. It is imperative to check the tightness and integrity of the syringe. There should be no air in it.

After the needle is inserted, the required amount of blood is collected. The child's fist should be in a clenched position. The nurse removes the tourniquet, removes the needle, applies a cotton ball, and flexes the child's arm at the elbow.

She should remain in this position for 5-10 minutes.

The blood test itself for ESR is carried out in the laboratory. The methods of Panchenkov and Westergren are used.

In the first case, to determine ESR in children, an anticoagulant (a substance that prevents blood clotting) is applied to a special glass, after which the child’s blood is added. The resulting mixture is placed in a vertical container and waited for 1 hour.

The laboratory technician estimates the height of the plasma (translucent liquid) without sediment in millimeters. In the second method, ESR in the blood of children is assessed after mixing it with an anticoagulant directly in a test tube.

In what cases is increasing ESR considered safe?

An increase in the sedimentation rate of red blood cells is not always a consequence of diseases of internal organs or inflammatory processes in the child’s body. Sometimes we are talking about false positive test results. Non-pathological reasons that provoke an increase in ESR levels include:

1. an abundance of fatty foods in the diet of a nursing mother (for breastfeeding babies);
2. severe stress immediately before the collection of biomaterial (for example, if the child is afraid to take tests);
3. teething (see also: can there be a cough when teething in children?);
4. taking Paracetamol and its analogues (after using these medications, the test result will be unreliable);
5. poor diet (lots of fatty, smoked and salty foods in the child’s diet);
6. helminthic infestation;
7. vitamin deficiency, hypovitaminosis, lack of nutrients.

During teething, ESR levels are usually elevated

Many people know that an increase in this indicator, as a rule, indicates some kind of inflammatory reaction. But this is not the golden rule. If an increased ESR is detected in the blood, the causes may be completely safe and do not require any treatment:

• allergic reactions, in which fluctuations in the initially increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate make it possible to judge the correct anti-allergy therapy - if the drug works, the rate will gradually decrease;
• a hearty breakfast before the study;
• fasting, strict diet;
• menstruation, pregnancy and the postpartum period in women.

Normal indicators

The level of ESR in the blood largely depends on the age and gender of the child. The normal value for newborns is 0 to 2 mm/hour. At 2-6 months this figure should be 4-6 mm/hour.

In children under 1 year of age, an ESR value of 3 to 10 mm/hour is considered normal. At 1-5 years old this figure should be 5-11 mm/hour, and at 6-14 years old it should be 4-12 mm/hour. In adolescent girls over 14 years of age, ESR is normally from 2 to 15 mm/hour, and in boys - 1-10 mm/hour.

After 17 years of age, the norms approach those of adults.

Reduced value

If the ESR is below normal, the reasons may be:

• Pathology of the blood system (coagulation disorders due to congenital or acquired deficiency of coagulation factors, anemia).
• Acute and chronic intoxication. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate often decreases when children use systemic medications without parental knowledge.
• Dehydration (dehydration). The reasons may be increased removal of fluid from the body as a result of intense physical activity, heavy sweating, cholera, acute intestinal infections (dysentery, salmonellosis) and insufficient fluid intake.
• Exhaustion. The reason is malnutrition (lack of proteins, fats and carbohydrates).
• Viral hepatitis.
• Cardiac pathology.
• Epilepsy.
• Repeated vomiting.
• Acute diarrhea.
• Lack of minerals and vitamins in the diet.
• Vegetarianism. Promotes an acute shortage of iron in the body, which is part of the hemoglobin of red blood cells.

Change in ESR norm from one year to adolescence

When it comes to the normal ESR in children aged 1 to 2 years, fluctuations from 5 to 7 mm/hour should be considered satisfactory. The ESR norm in children 3 years old continues to change upward, the upper limit is 8 units. This ESR rate in children remains until the age of eight. A new change in the exchange of albumin and blood globulins occurs at the age of eight and continues until the age of 12. The upper limit for this age is considered to be an erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 12 mm per hour.

We also recommend studying this topic:

Lymphocytes in a child are increased or decreased: causes and consequences of deviations

ESR norm for children of different ages

The ESR indicator may differ significantly in children of different ages, but it should not go beyond acceptable values.
The rate of interaction of red blood cells is not a constant value and what it will be depends even on the gender of the child. For example, for girls (regardless of age) this indicator may be slightly higher compared to boys of the same age category.

ESR norm depending on the child’s age

The ESR indicator can be influenced by various factors, so it is not a stable value and can change with each blood test. If the results of several tests consistently show deviations from acceptable limits, we are talking about malfunctions in the child’s body.

What factors does ESR depend on?

In girls, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is always slightly higher than in boys.

With a reduced number of red blood cells, their sedimentation rate increases.

The maximum erythrocyte sedimentation rate is observed in the period from 10 to 15 hours.

• Presence of inflammatory foci.

Prolonged inflammation leads to a stable increase in ESR.

Acute-phase blood plasma proteins help accelerate the binding of red blood cells due to adsorption on their surface.

• Infections (bacterial, viral and fungal).

As the infectious process develops, the indicators change a day after signs of illness appear (fever, fever, etc.).

Reasons for increased ESR in a child

If studies show fluctuations in ESR by more than + 5 units, it is necessary to respond to such a change. But you shouldn’t panic, but need to figure it out: this could be a reaction to overheating or hypothermia. If the child ate something before taking a blood sample, the ESR may accelerate sharply.

To confirm the diagnosis, it is recommended to take an ESR test several times

Important: If a high ESR is detected in a child once, the analysis should be performed several more times. And if such indicators are repeated over a decade or a longer period of time, it becomes obvious that the child is sick. It is necessary to undergo a thorough examination to diagnose the disease.

You should not panic if there is an increase in ESR in the child’s blood, and apart from such tests, there are no problems. At the same time, the child behaves as befits healthy children. Every human body, especially a child’s, is unique. Any event, sad or joyful, can lead to an increase in ESR. It’s another matter if the child feels unwell, but the ESR continues to increase. This is an indication for hospitalization and a course of treatment. This is the only way to deal with the disease. And the result of treatment will be shown by ESR analysis.

We also recommend studying this topic:

Indicators of normal red blood cells in the blood of children

Bringing ESR to normal

Bringing it to normal means reducing the elevated ESR and increasing the reduced one. Low ESR is much less common than high ESR, and raises suspicion of severe hematopoietic disorders and liver disease. The question of how to lower ESR in a child’s blood arises much more often. And you can lower the ESR only by eliminating the reasons why the ESR is growing.

Treatment should begin with identifying the causes of changes in ESR

And they are:

• erythrocytopenia;
• blood thinning;
• alkalosis;
• a decrease in the A/G index, that is, the ratio of albumin to globulins in the blood.

Such pathologies develop as a result of the acute course of inflammatory diseases.

An increase in ESR may occur from time to time as a response to neuropsychic stimuli. That is, adrenaline is to blame. When the excitement passes, the ESR returns to normal. We should not forget about the rule of donating blood during a general analysis in children. Activation of digestive enzymes can spur ESR. Therefore, you should donate blood for tests on an empty stomach.

← Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in women and men

Method for determining the erythrocyte sedimentation rate according to Westergren →

We recommend studying similar materials:

1. 1. Hemostasis system: why take a blood clotting test
2. 2. How to choose a diet based on your blood type: losing weight together
3. 3. Reasons for an increase or decrease in neutrophils in a blood test in children?
4. 4. Norms for the content of neutrophils in the blood and what functions they perform
5. 5. What do elevated eosinophils mean in a blood test in adults?
6. 6. Proper nutrition for high levels of bilirubin in the blood
7. 7. Low level of total bilirubin in the blood: reasons for the decrease

What does an elevated ESR indicate?

ESR is the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which shows how quickly red blood cells can stick together. If a child has some deviations, then this process must be monitored as quickly as possible. ESR is a nonspecific blood indicator, since separately from all other components it cannot indicate existing disorders. To do this, use the big picture. Therefore, ESR in a child’s blood can only have general indications and information, but at the same time it is important.