Rare diseases · Sign or symptom
Elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate
High ESR
HP:0003565
What it means
An increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). The ESR is a test that measures the distance that erythrocytes have fallen after one hour in a vertical column of anticoagulated blood under the influence of gravity. The ESR is a nonspecific finding. An elevation may indicate inflammation or may be caused by any condition that elevates fibrinogen.
Rare diseases that can present with this57
Very common80–99%
14- Adult-onset Still disease
- Alveolar echinococcosis
- CINCA syndrome
- Drug-induced lupus erythematosus
- Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D with periodic fever
- Insulin-resistance syndrome type B
- Interstitial granulomatous dermatitis with arthritis
- Juvenile dermatomyositis
- Macrophage activation syndrome
- Mixed connective tissue disease
- Pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus
- Staphylococcal necrotizing pneumonia
- Systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- Tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 associated periodic syndrome
Common30–79%
25- Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis
- Adiposis dolorosa
- Behçet disease
- Brucellosis
- Castleman disease
- Chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis/Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis
- Cogan syndrome
- Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia
- Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage
- Giant cell arteritis
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
- Idiopathic chronic eosinophilic pneumonia
- IgG4-related aortitis
- IgG4-related retroperitoneal fibrosis
- Kawasaki disease
- Livedoid vasculopathy
- Microscopic polyangiitis
- Muckle-Wells syndrome
- Oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- Q fever
- Rheumatoid factor-negative polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- Rheumatoid factor-positive polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- Subacute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
- Sweet syndrome
- Takayasu arteritis
The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.
Part of the broader category
Also called: Elevated ESR · Elevated sedimentation rate · High erythrocyte sedimentation rate · Increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate · Raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate
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Start free with EleplanThis page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.