The main step in the rapid treatment of any disease is diagnosis. The laboratory tests carried out on time allow us to give the most accurate information about the course of the disease. To achieve this, preparatory measures are required. Most of our compatriots have a natural interest: how does ethanol affect the accuracy of analyzes?
Does alcohol affect the blood test?
Alcohol can changeblood composition:
- reduce the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin indicators,
- reduce the content of urea,
- lower lactate levels,
- reduce glucose levels,
- raise the percentage of triacylglycerols.
Alcohol is able to make the blood more viscous, increase its thrombosis rates. An increase in the number of adherent cells and red blood cells can be interpreted as megaloblastic anemia.
The greatest deviations in the event that you take alcohol before taking tests is shown by blood biochemistry. A decrease in uric acid is a consequence of a violation of the circulatory mechanism. An increase in the concentration of triacylglycerols - indicates the presence of ischemia or hepatitis.
So that the tests after alcohol do not mislead doctors, when receiving a referral, it is necessary to inform the specialist about this condition.
In addition to distorting the test results, alcohol can distort the operation of devices in the laboratory. The effect of reagents on ethanol distorts blood sugar levels, as a result of which it is impossible to start diabetes treatment on time.
How alcohol affects the tests
Ethanol is not the main condition that needs to be eliminated before going to the laboratory. Not only smoking or eating before the test, drinking alcohol can reduce the accuracy of the instruments.
The distortion of the analysis under the influence of ethanol can make the diagnosis ineffective. The more alcohol is taken, the less objective the result will be.
General analysis
Exposure to alcohol can distort resultsthus:
- destroy red blood cells,
- increase cholesterol levels sometimes by 80%,
- reduce hemoglobin levels, since the concentration of erythrocytes also decreases.
If you take alcohol immediately before this analysis, then the greatest probability that the number of red blood cells (red blood cells that transport oxygen to all organs or tissues and the return transport of carbon dioxide) will be reduced.
Alcohol dissolves the membranes of red blood cells, which prevents their natural haphazard movement and repulsion is reduced. Red blood cells begin to stick together. Their concentration in plasma decreases, which entails a decrease in hemoglobin parameters. The clumping of red blood cells leads to the appearance of blood clots and a decrease in blood microcirculation in the vessel.
The blood becomes thicker after the alcohol gets inside. Its ability to penetrate the lumen of the capillaries decreases due to the appeared clots. This situation is dangerous to the health and life of people and prevents a complete study of the composition of the blood.
In the liver, under the influence of alcohol, the production of lipids decreases. This reduces the characteristics of the plasma. Such indicators play a major role in the period when the patient is being prepared to operate. Accurate analysis is essential to ensure that the patient's health is monitored when he has had a serious infectious disease or during the healing of large wound surfaces.
Blood tests that are takenin less than 12 hoursafter taking alcohol, it can accurately show only general intoxication. Decreased hemoglobin shows only megaloblastic anemia. But the doctor can refuse to make a diagnosis, referring to the recent intake of alcohol by the patient.
Biochemical indicators
Alcohol has the strongest effect on the biochemical blood test. This analysis is the most complete. With the help of it, you can find out which substances are urgently needed by a person, and which there are many and an urgent need to lower their concentration.
The result of biochemical research under the influence of alcohol changesthus:
- the amount of urea in the blood decreases,
- data on the assimilation of oxygen by the cells of the body are violated,
- quantitative indicators of glucose suffer.
The latter factor can pose a threat to the patient's life, since the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is delayed.
The increased background of urea is also caused by the intake of alcohol. Distorted indicators of its content can hide a severe circulatory disease, leading to hemorrhagic shock or acute heart failure. Since urea is involved in the elimination of nitrogen, its increased concentration is a sign of gout and polyarthritis. The accuracy of diagnosis can be satisfactory only with abstinence from alcohol before taking tests.
Drinking alcohol before the procedure can cause an increased content of triacylglycerol in the bloodstream. This neutral fatty substance, being found in the bloodstream, indicates pathological processes,such as:
- atherosclerosis,
- ischemia,
- cerebral artery thrombosis,
- viral hepatitis.
Most doctors, out of principled considerations, exclude alcohol-containing medicinal products from the intake before taking blood from a patient. But it is believed that alcohol helps to detect the presence of an infectious disease. But even the smallest dose of ethanol distorts the test results and makes it unsuitable for the doctor.
According to the stories of nurses and doctors, most people do not confess to taking alcohol before testing. Another side factor that manifests itself when people who have drunk alcohol the day before are tested areare:
- fainting,
- severe headaches
- nausea.
The volume of blood that is taken from the body from a vein is negligible. Its loss is not any problem for a person. But if a patient comes for tests after taking alcohol, metabolism is usually impaired and blood circulation in the brain is reduced.
Taking from a vein can lead to oxygen starvation of the brain. This can lead to severe dizziness or fainting. After that, the patient may have a headache for a long time.
Alcohol poisoning can upset the digestive tract. The patient may vomit in the doctor's office or in the laboratory from the smell of alcohol or chlorine used for disinfection.
Glucose test
The study of the amount of blood glucose is required for people suffering from endocrine disorders. Blood is taken from a finger. If the patient drank alcohol-containing liquids before taking blood, his blood becomes thicker, the pressure drops. This makes it difficult to obtain blood and exacerbates the risk of thrombosis.
Exposure to alcohol is a negative factor for liver cells. It also has a negative effect on laboratory apparatus and reagents. This makes the result inaccurate. The sugar level can be increased or decreased relative to the actual state of affairs.
One gram of alcohol can change the number of kcal by 7 upwards, which is explained by the rapid penetration of ethanol into tissues and body fluids. Sugar indicators in this case are increased.
Alcohol becomes the cause of low sugar values.About 2. 5 hoursstable data on blood glucose are provided by carbohydrates from food. For the rest of the period, glucose is produced by the liver, which attracts the body's energy resource. Alcohol disrupts normal metabolic processes and causes hypoglycemia.
Blood sugar levels return to normalafter 1 or 2 days. . . If the patient is at risk of diabetes mellitus, then it is important for him to give the doctor a normal picture. In another case, the doctor will attribute high sugar levels to drinking alcohol. The period when health can be improved will be missed.
Can I drink alcohol before testing?
In no case. Alcohol changes the test result. The most important thing is to completely abandon drinking alcohol-containing liquids before a major operation.
Sometimes a small amount of alcohol can be taken before the tests. The doctor will discuss this condition with the patient at the appointment in an individual conversation.
But in any case, the recipient should stop taking alcoholic beverages forty-eight hours before the analysis. During this period, the human body gets the opportunity to recover.
When tested for HIV, hepatitis B or C, as well as syphilis, the period of time when the patient must be completely sober increases to 72 hours. Otherwise, the analysis result will be distorted.
If the laboratory assistant or doctor receives information that the patient drank before the tests, blood donation is postponed. If information appears later, then the analysis is repeated when acetaldehyde is no longer present in the bloodstream.
The only possibility when alcohol will not affect the result is considered to be the analysis of alcohol intoxication, which is carried out among drivers of vehicles and some categories of workers. This test is carried out without preparation or warning in order to get an objective picture. In any other case, you can only drink water before taking the test.