The main step in the rapid treatment of any disease is diagnosis. Laboratory tests performed on time allow us to give the most accurate information about the course of the disease. To achieve this, preparatory measures are needed. Most of our compatriots have a natural interest: how does ethanol affect the accuracy of the analyzes?
Does alcohol affect blood tests?
Alcohol can changeblood composition:
- reduce the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin indicators,
- reduce the urea content,
- lower lactate levels,
- lowering glucose levels,
- increase the percentage of triacylglycerols.
Alcohol is able to make the blood more viscous, increase the rate of its thrombosis. The increase in the number of adhesive cells and red blood cells can be interpreted as megaloblastic anemia.
Larger deviations in case you take alcohol before doing tests are indicated by blood biochemistry. A decrease in uric acid is a consequence of a violation of the circulatory mechanism. Increased concentration of triacylglycerols - indicates the presence of ischemia or hepatitis.
In order for post-alcohol tests not to mislead doctors when receiving a referral, it is necessary to inform the specialist about the condition.
In addition to distorting test results, alcohol can distort the operation of laboratory equipment. The effect of the reagents on ethanol distorts the blood sugar level, as a result, it is impossible to start timely treatment of diabetes mellitus.
How alcohol affects tests
Ethanol is not the main condition that should be eliminated before going to the lab. Not just smoking or eating before the test, drinking alcohol can reduce the accuracy of the instruments.
Distortion of the analysis under the influence of ethanol may make the diagnosis ineffective. The more alcohol taken, the less objective the result will be.
General analysis
Exposure to alcohol can distort the resultsso:
- destroy red blood cells,
- increase cholesterol levels sometimes by 80%,
- reduce the level of hemoglobin, as the concentration of red blood cells also decreases.
If you take alcohol immediately before this test, then the greater probability that the number of red blood cells (red blood cells that transport oxygen to all organs or tissues and return carbon dioxide transport) will be reduced.
Alcohol disperses the membranes of red blood cells, which prevents their natural random movement and reduces repulsion. The red blood cells begin to stick together. Their plasma concentration decreases, which leads to a decrease in hemoglobin parameters. Accumulation of red blood cells leads to the appearance of blood clots and a decrease in blood microcirculation in the vessel.
The blood becomes thicker as alcohol is injected. Its ability to penetrate through the lumen of capillaries is reduced due to the clot appearing. This situation is dangerous to human health and life and prevents a thorough study of blood composition.
In the liver under the influence of alcohol the production of lipids is reduced. This reduces the characteristics of the plasma. Such indicators play a major role in the period when the patient is preparing for surgery. Accurate analysis is essential to ensure that the patient's health is monitored when he or she has had a severe infectious disease or while healing large areas of the wound.
Blood tests takenin less than 12 hoursafter ingestion of alcohol, can accurately indicate only general intoxication. Decreased hemoglobin indicates 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 analysis of blood. This analysis is more complete. With its help, you can find out which substances a person urgently needs and which there are many and urgent needs to reduce their concentration.
The result of biochemical research under the influence of alcohol variesso:
- the amount of urea in the blood decreases,
- the data on the absorption 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, as the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is late.
Increased urea background is also caused by alcohol intake. Distorted indicators of its content can hide a serious circulatory disease, leading to hemorrhagic shock or acute heart failure. Since urea is involved in nitrogen secretion, its increased concentration is a sign of gout and polyarthritis. The accuracy of the diagnosis can only be satisfactory with abstinence from alcohol before performing the tests.
Drinking alcohol before the procedure can cause an increase in the content of triacylglycerol in the blood. This neutral fatty substance, found in the bloodstream, indicates pathological processes,like:
- atherosclerosis,
- ishemi,
- cerebral artery thrombosis,
- viral hepatitis.
Most physicians, for principled reasons, exclude medicinal products containing alcohol from taking before taking 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 it unsuitable for the doctor.
According to the stories of nurses and doctors, most people do not admit to having taken alcohol before testing. Another side factor that appears when people who drank alcohol the day before are tested areThey are:
- faint,
- severe headaches
- mixed.
The volume of blood taken from the body by a vein is negligible. Losing it is not a problem for a person. But if the patient comes for tests after taking alcohol, metabolism is usually impaired and blood circulation to the brain is reduced.
Intake of veins can lead to brain starvation from oxygen. This can lead to severe dizziness or fainting. After that, the patient may have headaches for a long time.
Alcohol poisoning can disturb the digestive tract. The patient may vomit in the doctor's office or laboratory from the smell of alcohol or chlorine used for disinfection.
Glucose test
The study of the amount of glucose in the blood is required for people suffering from endocrine disorders. Blood is taken from a finger. If the patient drank liquids containing alcohol before taking blood, his blood becomes thicker, the pressure drops. This makes it difficult to get blood and worsens 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 incorrect. The sugar level may increase or decrease depending on the current state of affairs.
One gram of alcohol can change the kcal number by 7 upwards, which is explained by the rapid penetration of ethanol into tissues and body fluids. Sugar indicators in this case have increased.
Alcohol becomes the cause of low sugar values.About 2. 5 hoursStable blood glucose data are provided by carbohydrates from food. For the rest of the period, glucose is produced by the liver, which attracts the body’s source of energy. 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 that he gives the doctor a normal appearance. In another case, the doctor will attribute the high sugar levels to drinking alcohol. The period when health can be improved will be missing.
Can I drink alcohol before the test?
In no case. Alcohol changes the test result. The most important thing is to completely stop 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 in 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 time period when the patient should be fully measured increases to 72 hours. Otherwise, the analysis result will be distorted.
If the lab or doctor receives information that the patient has drunk before the tests, the blood donation is postponed. If the 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 alcohol intoxication analysis, which is performed between drivers and certain categories of workers. This test is performed without preparation or warning to get an objective view. In any other case, you can only drink water before taking the test.