The Plasma Viscosity, alongside the ESR and C-Reactive Protein tests, gives a measure of the acute phase response; i.e. the increase in assorted plasma proteins and fibrinogen in blood plasma stimulated by a variety of causes (e.g. infection, neoplasm or inflammatory disease). The value of these tests is limited by lack of specificity. Their main use is as an objective guide to the underlying activity of certain chronic inflammatory diseases such as temporal arteritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
