A racial difference in erythrocyte sedimentation.

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was examined in blacks and whites aged 18 to 74 years in the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I). In each age and sex group, median ESR was 2 mm/hr to 13 mm/hr higher in blacks than in whites even after exclusion of persons with extreme hemoglobin values or history of conditions affecting ESR. Apparently healthy blacks were more likely than whites to have elevated ESR greater than 20 mm/hr in women and 9 mm/hr in men. These data suggest a racial difference in ESR that is independent of age, hemoglobin concentration, and certain chronic diseases.