Theoretical bases for the role of erythrocyte sedimentation rate,plasma viscosity and zeta sedimentation ratio measurements in clinical medicine

Analysis of extensive data in the literature plus a survey of our own limited clinical results indicate that changes in plasma viscosity (PV) primarily reflect alterations in the concentration of plasma macromolecules. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and zeta sedimentation ratio (ZSR) tests mainly detect the presence of macromolecules in the plasma which produce rouleaux or aggregates. The ESR test as presently used is, however, more prone to produce data supporting erroneous conclusion than the ZSR. It currently seems reasonable to eliminate ESR measurements and use only PV and ZSR measurements in clinical evaluations.