Three-way comparison of methods for the measurement of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

An erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a nonspecific sickness index, which is not diagnostic of any particular disease, but which when elevated may indicate the presence of inflammation, infection, rheumatologic disease, or neoplasm. Technological advances continue to evolve to make this old test to conform to requirements of a modern analytical laboratory. In this evaluation, two new semi-automated ESR measuring systems, the HumaSed and ESR-Auto Plus (EAP), were compared with the Westergren method with regard to the accuracy and precision of ESR measurement, sample stability, and interference of various substances with the ESR assay.