The main step in the rapid treatment of any disease is diagnosis. Timely laboratory tests allow us to provide the most accurate information about the evolution of the disease. For this, preparatory measures are needed. Most of our compatriots have a natural interest: how does ethanol affect analysis accuracy?
Does alcohol affect the blood test?
alcohol can changeblood composition:
- reduce the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin indicators,
- reduce the urea content,
- lower lactate levels,
- reduce glucose levels,
- increase the percentage of triacylglycerols.
Alcohol is able to make the blood more viscous, increase your thrombosis rates. An increase in the number of adherent cells and red blood cells can be interpreted as megaloblastic anemia.
The biggest deviations in case you drink alcohol before taking the tests are shown by the blood biochemistry. The 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 tests after alcohol do not mislead the physician, upon receiving the referral, it is necessary to inform the specialist about this condition.
In addition to distorting test results, alcohol can distort the function of devices in the laboratory. The effect of the reagents on ethanol distorts the blood sugar level, so it is impossible to start treatment for diabetes mellitus in time.
How Alcohol Affects Testing
Ethanol is not the main condition that needs to be eliminated before going to the lab. Not only smoking or eating before the test, but also 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 you drink, the less objective the result will be.
general analysis
Exposure to alcohol can distort resultstherefore:
- destroy red blood cells,
- increase cholesterol levels sometimes by 80%,
- they reduce hemoglobin levels, as the concentration of red blood cells also decreases.
If you drink alcohol immediately before this test, the greater likelihood that the number of red blood cells (red blood cells that carry oxygen to all organs or tissues and the carbon dioxide return transport) will be reduced.
Alcohol dissolves red blood cell membranes, which prevents their natural disordered movement and repulsion is reduced. The red blood cells start to join together. Its plasma concentration decreases, which leads to a decrease in hemoglobin parameters. The agglomeration of red blood cells leads to the appearance of blood clots and a decrease in blood microcirculation in the vessel.
The blood thickens after the alcohol enters. Its ability to penetrate through the capillary lumen decreases due to clots that arise. This situation is dangerous for people's health and lives and prevents a complete study of the blood composition.
In the liver, under the influence of alcohol, the production of lipids decreases. This reduces the characteristics of the plasma. These indicators play an important role in the period in which the patient is being prepared to operate. Accurate analysis is essential to ensure that the patient's health is monitored when he has a serious infectious disease or while healing large areas of wounds.
Blood tests that are donein less than 12 hoursafter drinking alcohol, it can accurately show only general intoxication. The decrease in hemoglobin shows only megaloblastic anemia. But the doctor may refuse to make a diagnosis, referring to the patient's recent alcohol intake.
Biochemical indicators
Alcohol has the strongest effect on the biochemical blood test. This analysis is the most complete. With its help, you can find out which substances are urgently needed by a person and which are many and there is an urgent need to lower your concentration.
The result of biochemical research under the influence of alcohol changestherefore:
- the amount of urea in the blood decreases,
- data on oxygen uptake by the body's cells are violated,
- quantitative indicators of glucose suffer.
This last factor can represent a threat to the patient's life, since the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is late.
Increased urea is also caused by drinking alcohol. Distorted indicators of its content can mask severe circulatory disease, leading to hemorrhagic shock or acute heart failure. As urea is involved in nitrogen excretion, its increased concentration is a sign of gout and polyarthritis. Diagnostic accuracy can only be satisfactory with abstinence from alcohol before testing.
Drinking alcohol before the procedure can cause an increase in the triacylglycerol content of the bloodstream. This neutral fatty substance, being found in the bloodstream, indicates pathological processes,such as:
- atherosclerosis,
- ischemia,
- cerebral artery thrombosis,
- viral hepatitis.
Most physicians, for reasons of principle, exclude medications that contain alcohol from ingestion before drawing blood from a patient. But alcohol is believed to help detect the presence of an infectious disease. But even the smallest dose of ethanol distorts the test results and makes them unsuitable for the doctor.
According to the stories of nurses and doctors, most people do not confess to drinking alcohol before the test. Another side factor that manifests when people who drank alcohol the day before are tested isthey are:
- fainting,
- severe headaches
- nausea.
The volume of blood taken from the body from a vein is negligible. Its loss is no problem for one person. But if the patient comes for tests after drinking alcohol, the metabolism is usually impaired and blood circulation in the brain is reduced.
Ingesting a vein can lead to lack of oxygen in the brain. This can cause 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 laboratory with the smell of alcohol or chlorine used in disinfection.
glucose test
The study of the amount of glucose in the blood is necessary for people who suffer from endocrine disorders. Blood is drawn from a finger. If the patient drank alcohol-containing fluids before taking blood, their blood thickened and their pressure dropped. This makes it difficult to get blood and increases 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 raised or lowered in relation to the actual state of affairs.
One gram of alcohol can change the number of kcal by 7 or more, which is explained by the rapid penetration of ethanol into body tissues and fluids. The sugar indicators in this case are increased.
Alcohol becomes the cause of low sugar values.about 2, 5 hoursStable blood glucose data are provided by carbohydrates in foods. For the remainder of the period, glucose is produced by the liver, which attracts the body's energy source. Alcohol disrupts normal metabolic processes and causes hypoglycemia.
Blood sugar levels return to normalafter 1 or 2 days. . . If the patient is at risk for diabetes mellitus, it is important that he give the doctor a normal picture. In another case, the doctor will attribute high sugar levels to alcohol consumption. The period when health can be improved will be lost.
Can I drink alcohol before the test?
In no case. Alcohol alters the test result. The most important thing is to completely abandon the consumption of liquids that contain alcohol before a major operation.
Sometimes a small amount of alcohol can be taken before testing. The physician will discuss this condition with the patient in the consultation in a one-on-one conversation.
But, in any case, the recipient must stop drinking alcoholic beverages 48 hours before the analysis. During this period, the human body has the opportunity to recover.
When tested for HIV, hepatitis B or C, in addition to syphilis, the time the patient must be completely sober increases to 72 hours. Otherwise, the analysis result will be skewed.
If the laboratory assistant or physician receives information that the patient drank before the tests, the blood donation is postponed. If the information appears later, the analysis will be repeated when acetaldehyde is no longer present in the bloodstream.
It is considered that the only possibility in which alcohol does not affect the result is the analysis of alcohol intoxication, carried out among vehicle drivers and some categories of workers. This test is performed without preparation or notice to obtain an objective image. In any other case, you can only drink water before taking the test.