ESR

What Does This Test Check?

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) measures how quickly red blood cells settle in a tube, a slow but simple gauge of inflammation somewhere in the body.

Lola Health lists this as an add-on biomarker at £54, posted as a home sample with results in one to four working days. It cannot be bought on its own: you pick it while ordering one of Lola's main blood tests, so it suits someone who already knows which extra marker they want.

A raised rate may indicate inflammation, infection or autoimmune activity, but it cannot say where or why, and age, pregnancy and anaemia all raise it. It is a blunt instrument, best read with CRP. Whatever the reading, an out-of-range result needs a doctor who can see the whole picture, so go through it with your GP before acting on it.