Before prescribing treatment for a disease, the necessary examination must be carried out. The choice of therapeutic therapy depends on the correct diagnosis. But taking any medications or substances can also have a negative impact on the test results. It is also worth remembering that you should not drink alcohol before tests, as strong drinks canchange the results significantly. And to ensure this, it is worth taking into account the peculiarities of the influence of alcohol on the examinations carried out.
The effect of alcohol on blood tests
Blood tests are often used to diagnose various diseases. It is used to determine the causes of pathology, its form, degree of complexity and many other indicators. To ensure accurate results, it is worth excluding conditions that could alter them, including consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Observe! Thorough preparation is required before conducting the tests. Recommended1-2 days before diagnosisStop drinking alcoholic beverages and taking various medications.
How does alcohol affect blood tests:
- It leads to the destruction of the membrane of red blood cells and reduces their motility. When consumed, the quality of blood viscosity increases, the number of red blood cells decreases, and hemoglobin decreases;
- Glucose synthesis in the liver slows down. Consuming alcoholic beverages before testing can lead to diagnosisMisdiagnosisin a healthy person, namely diabetes;
- Increases lactic acid. As a result, incorrect diagnoses may be made, potentially affecting the heart and blood vessels.
- Increases urea levels;
- Increases the indicatorcholesterol;
- Increases the content of neutral fats. Therefore, the specialist can assume that the patient has problems with the blood vessels, heart activity and liver;
- Causes changes in the content of micro and macro elements. This makes it difficult to determine which substances are needed;
- Leads toChanges in hormone levels.
Drinks containing alcohol significantly distort the results of blood tests. Incorrect readings can cause the doctor to make a diagnosisMisdiagnosis. And this can be a consequence of choosing the wrong treatment therapy, which can therefore have a negative impact on health.
Features of the influence of alcoholic beverages on test results
You should not drink alcohol before the tests. Products that contain alcohol canchange the results significantly, but it's not just worth avoiding before diagnosis. Nicotine, failure to eat healthy, as well as various medications lead to distortion of the indicators.
How does it affect the overall analysis?
When asked whether it is permissible to drink alcohol before a blood test, experts say no. Under the influence of alcohol components, research data can be distorted:
- Red blood cells are destroyed;
- Cholesterol levels rise (sometimes it can reach up to 80%);
- Hemoglobin decreases.
The main danger of consuming alcoholic beverages immediately before diagnosis is that theyhave a strong effectabout indicators of erythrocyte concentration. It destroys them, but they are of great importance for health. They transport oxygen from the respiratory system to various organs and tissues and carbon dioxide back to the respiratory system.
When exposed to ethyl alcohol, destruction of the erythrocyte membrane is observed. It causesDisturbance of their movements, they stop repelling each other and stick to each other. This causes the proportion of red blood cells to decrease, which leads to a sharp decrease in hemoglobin. At the same time, microthrombi form and microcirculation deteriorates.
Under the influence of alcoholic beverages, the blood structure becomes viscous. This creates blood clots that cannot pass through the capillary and vessel walls. And this phenomenon can belife-threateningPerson. It interferes with a complete blood test.
Impact on the results of biochemical studies
Particularly affectedAlcohol in biochemical blood tests distorts the results obtained. This study is completed. This allows you to find out which components are not enough for the body and which, on the contrary, are present in excess.
Under the influence of alcoholic beverages, changes in the biochemical blood test are observed:
- Decreased glucose levels;
- decrease in urea levels;
- Cells cannot absorb oxygen at full capacity;
- Deterioration of a person's well-being.
Consuming alcoholic beverages can cause a sharp drop in glucose levels. This can be particularly dangerous if you have diabetes.
When you drink alcohol, the level of uric acid in your blood drops, which can have a negative impact on your health. The doctor canmisdiagnose. A reduced urea level can be an indication that there are serious circulatory problems. Urea is needed to remove nitrogen from the body. If this element is elevated, it may indicate the presence of gout and chronic arthritis.
Alcohol often causes an increase in triacylglycerols in the blood. These fats are characteristic of pathologies such as atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, cerebral vascular thrombosis and viral hepatitis.
Important! Many specialists try not to use drugs containing alcohol when conducting tests. However, it is believed that they are capable of identificationvarious infections. However, ethyl alcohol can change the results so much that even a professional cannot understand them.
After drinking alcohol, you should not take tests; it is better to wait 2-3 days. If a patient undergoes a biochemical study during a hangover, the following diseases may occur:
- fainting;
- The appearance of persistent headaches;
- signs of nausea;
- To throw up.
Typically, when a biochemical blood test is performed, a small amount of blood is taken. A sober person will not notice any significant changes. However, alcohol molecules disrupt metabolic processes andinfluence negativelyon cerebral blood flow.
If you are faced with the problem of alcoholism, the modern clinic offers services for treating alcoholism using effective methods.
Effects on the results of blood sampling for sugar
Patients with metabolic disorders are usually prescribed blood tests to measure sugar. A finger prick is performed during the study. If alcoholic beverages were consumed before the analysis, the composition of the blood becomes thicker, which causes some difficulties in collection and also increasesRisk of blood clots.
Ethyl alcohol has a harmful effect on the liver. It also negatively affects reagents and the operation of laboratory equipment. For this reason, two different results can occur – an increased or a decreased blood sugar level.
1 gram of ethyl alcohol leads to an increase in kilocalories to almost 7 units. The fact is that the molecules of alcoholic drinks immediately intervene in metabolic processes. And under the influence of liver enzymes, glucose is formed. What happens in the end?Increase in sugar levelsin blood.
Drinks containing alcohol can temporarily lower blood sugar levels. It is maintained within the normal range for 2. 5 hours a day; This is ensured by carbohydrates that reach the digestive organs. During the rest of the time, the liver produces glucose and draws on the body's own reserves. However, alcohol candisrupt this process, which can lead to a drop in glucose levels.
The effect of alcohol on urinalysis
You should not drink alcohol before a urine test because the drink may alter the test results. If alcoholic beverages have already been drunk, you should not carry out the diagnosis the next day; it is better to wait 2-5 days for ethyl alcoholcompletely withdrawnfrom the body.
The following changes in the analyzes can be observed under the influence of alcohol:
- There is an increase in urea levels;
- Increased lactic acid;
- increase in glucose levels;
- If alcoholic drinks contained dyes, preservatives or flavor-enhancing elements, traces of these substances will be detected in the urine for at least 2-3 days.
To speed up the elimination of alcohol, it is not recommended to consume medications with a diuretic effect. you will beoverload the kidneys. In addition to harmful components, useful substances and a large amount of potassium are also excreted.
When can you drink alcoholic beverages?
Alcohol can greatly alter the data of all tests - blood, urine and even spermogram. That's why it isNot recommendedDrink before the examination. It is particularly important not to drink alcohol before a test for major operations.
If the condition is not very serious, small amounts of alcohol are allowed. However, the doctor must inform every patient about thisindividually.
Before 2-3 days after the diagnosis, you must stop consuming alcoholic beverages. During this period, there is a weakening of processes in the body that can greatly affect the body's condition.
It is not recommended to consume alcohol before tests, as ethyl alcohol will in any case have a negative effect on the results. And that can ultimately lead to thisto a misdiagnosis. It is better not to take alcoholic beverages and medications for a few days before the diagnosis. The only situation in which alcohol does not change the indicators is an alcohol intoxication test, which is indicated for drivers and some workers.