Question

A female client with a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis is presently taking a course of prednisone for the control of symptoms related to inflammation. Which erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) would indicate that the medication course has decreased the inflammation within normal limits?

a) 60 mm/hr
b) 30 mm/hr
c) 90 mm/hr
d) 10 mm/hr

Answer 1

The normal ESR value for an adult is generally considered to be below 20 mm/hr. In the context of psoriatic arthritis and treatment with prednisone, an ESR value of 10 mm/hr would suggest that inflammation has reduced to within normal limits.

Step-by-step explanation:

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a blood test that measures how quickly erythrocytes (red blood cells) settle at the bottom of a test tube that contains a blood sample. Normally, red blood cells settle relatively slowly. A faster-than-normal rate may indicate inflammation in the body. In the context of psoriatic arthritis and treatment with prednisone, a steroid that is used to reduce inflammation, a lowered ESR would indicate an improvement in inflammation levels.

Normal ESR values vary depending on various factors such as age and sex, but typically, an ESR lower than 20 mm/hr is considered normal for most adults. The options given provide a range of values with only one (10 mm/hr) falling within or close to the normal range for adults, thus indicating a response to prednisone treatment that has reduced inflammation within normal limits.