My wife has a high level of ESR, and she often falls sick. Can you please suggest a remedy?

Question

Hi doctor,

My wife is 32 years old, and she recently got a blood test done and her ESR is 120. She frequently falls sick and suffers from leg pains, body pains, and sore throat. We consulted the doctor, and he said some infection is hidden but not coming out. I am much worried about her health. Can you suggest a remedy?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Only ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) does not tell us anything specific. We need more details to find out where the infection is. In arthritic diseases, an elevated ESR is most closely associated with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA). Rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, and any other inflammatory condition is associated with an elevated ESR. Other well-established causes include subacute bacterial endocarditis (SBE), myeloma, abscess, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and osteomyelitis. However, almost any condition that causes sudden or significant inflammation in the body can be associated with an elevated ESR. A high level of ESR cannot establish any diagnosis by itself.

Similarly, a normal ESR does not rule out an arthritic condition since many people with arthritis have a standard or mildly elevated ESR. A normal ESR does reduce the likelihood of GCA, PMR, and SBE. Thus, this test's ability to predict the presence or absence of disease is far from perfect. To rule out a condition associated with an elevated ESR, your health care provider will review your symptoms, physical examination (with particular attention to the joints), and other test results. My advice would be to consult a more experienced doctor, as we need to examine her thoroughly, and then we can find out where the infection is if it is there.