POPULATION-BASED ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION-RATES IN 3910 SUBJECTIVELYHEALTHY NORWEGIAN ADULTS - A STATISTICAL STUDY BASED ON MEN AND WOMENFROM THE OSLO AREA

Objectives, To establish age- and sex-specific reference limits for th e erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in asymptomatic Norwegian adult s. Design, Single ESR recordings were obtained by the classical or a m odified Westergren method from 2145 men and 1765 women (93% being bloo d donors) with age range 20-90 years, and analysed statistically. Resu lts. There was a significant positive association between ESR level an d age, consistent with a parabolic pattern in men but a linear one in women, The mean values for men were about 3 mm h(-1) at 20 years, 6 mm h(-1) at 55 years, and 10 mm h(-1) at 90 years, and 6, 9, and 11 mm h (-1) respectively for women. These averages (predicted by regression l ines) were significantly higher in women up to the age of 75 years, af ter which the estimated sex-specific 95% confidence limits for mean va lues were found to overlap. Conclusions, The upper reference levels ex pected to be exceeded only by chance in 5% of single individual record ings at the ages of 20, 55 or 90 years, respectively, were estimated t o be 12, 14 and 19 mm h(-1) for men, and 18, 21 and 23 mm h(-1) for wo men, Higher values should be controlled and, if confirmed, lead to a c linical check-up. However, about 76% of our overall material had ESR v alues lower than 9 mm h(-1), Knowledge of each person's baseline ESR v alue might increase the disease-predictive ability of the test, If sev eral measurements over years reveal a steeper rise with age than depic ted in our population-based curves, it should be taken seriously, even when each reading is below the population-based reference limits.