Erythrocyte sedimentation rate in temporal arteritis.

Some authors have reported that the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is elevated in almost all patients with biopsy-proven temporal arteritis, while others believe it may be normal in up to 30% of such patients. We studied 62 patients with biopsy-proven temporal arteritis, and found that all of the 54 untreated patients and six of the eight treated patients had an elevated ESR; thus, when the ESR is normal, a diagnosis of temporal arteritis must be suspect.