Pyrexia and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate in acute gastro-duodenal haemorrhage.

Rises in the body temperature and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in the absence of significant associated disease, were each observed in one-third of a large series of patients with acute gastro-duodenal haemorrhage. While only 15% of the patients showed both a pyrexial reaction and a rise in the ESR, fully 55% of the cases showed one or the other abnormality. There was no significant difference in the incidence of these abnormalities in haematemesis from chronic duodenal ulcer, chronic gastric ulcer or acute gastric erosion and the rise in the ESR showed no signficant correlation with the severity of bleeding.