Before prescribing treatment for any disease, the required examination must be carried out. The selection of therapeutic therapy depends on the correct diagnosis. But taking any medication or substance can negatively affect your test results. It is also worth considering that you should not drink alcoholic beverages before the exams, as strong drinks canchange the results a lot. And to be sure of this, it is worth considering the characteristics of the influence of alcohol on the tests carried out.
The effect of alcohol on blood tests
When diagnosing various diseases, blood tests are often performed. 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 the consumption of drinks containing alcohol.
Take note! Thorough preparation is necessary before taking the tests. Recommended1-2 days before diagnosisstop drinking alcoholic beverages and taking various medications.
How alcohol affects blood tests:
- It causes destruction of the red blood cell membrane and reduces its mobility properties. 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. Drinking alcoholic beverages before exams can cause diagnosiswrong diagnosisin a healthy person, namely diabetes;
- Increases lactic acid. As a result, incorrect diagnoses may be made that may be related to the heart and blood vessels;
- Increases urea levels;
- Increases the indicatorcholesterol;
- Increases the content of neutral fats. As a result of this, the specialist may assume that the patient has problems with 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 with alcohol greatly distort blood test results. Wrong readings can cause the doctor to diagnosewrong diagnosis. And this may be a consequence of the selection of the wrong therapeutic therapy, which can negatively affect health.
Features of the influence of alcoholic beverages on test results
You should not drink alcohol before taking the tests. Products containing alcohol canchange the results a lot, but it is still worth abandoning it before carrying out the diagnosis. Nicotine, failure to follow a healthy diet, as well as various medications cause distortion of indicators.
How does this affect the overall analysis?
When asked whether alcohol can be consumed before blood tests, experts will answer in the negative. Under the influence of alcohol components, research data may be distorted:
- Red blood cells are destroyed;
- Cholesterol levels increase (sometimes it can reach 80%);
- Hemoglobin decreases.
The main danger of consuming drinks containing alcohol shortly before diagnosis is that theyhas a strong effectin indicators of erythrocyte concentration. This destroys them, but they are of great importance for health. They transport oxygen from the respiratory system to various organs and tissues and transport carbon dioxide back to the respiratory organs.
When exposed to ethyl alcohol, destruction of the erythrocyte membrane is observed. This causesinterruption of your movements, they stop repelling each other and stick to each other. As a result, the level of red blood cells decreases and this leads to the fact that hemoglobin is greatly reduced. At the same time, microthrombi form and microcirculation deteriorates.
Under the influence of alcoholic beverages, the blood structure becomes viscous. As a result, clots appear that cannot pass through the capillary and vascular walls. And this phenomenon can belife-threateningperson. This interferes with a complete blood test.
Impact on the results of biochemical studies
Particularly affectsalcohol in biochemical blood tests distorts the results obtained. This study is complete. With it, you will be able to find out which components are not enough for the body and which, on the contrary, are present in excessive quantities.
Under the influence of alcoholic beverages, changes in the biochemical blood test are observed:
- Decrease in glucose levels;
- Decline in urea levels;
- Cells cannot absorb oxygen at full capacity;
- Deterioration of a person's well-being.
Consumption of alcoholic beverages can lead to a sharp decrease in glucose levels. This can be especially dangerous during diabetes.
When drinking alcohol, uric acid levels in the blood decrease and this can negatively affect health. The doctor canmisdiagnose. Reduced urea levels may indicate serious circulatory problems. Urea is necessary to remove nitrogen from the body, and if this element is elevated, it may indicate the presence of gout and chronic arthritis.
Alcohol generally leads to an increase in triacylglycerols in the blood. These fats are characteristic of pathologies such as atherosclerosis, coronary disease, cerebral vascular thrombosis and viral hepatitis.
Important! Many experts try not to use drugs containing alcohol when carrying out tests. However, it is believed that they are capable of identifyingvarious infections. Even so, ethyl alcohol can greatly alter the results, so that not even a professional can decipher them.
You should not take tests after drinking alcohol, it is better to wait 2 to 3 days. If a patient undergoes a biochemical study during a hangover, he may experience the following conditions:
- Fainting;
- The occurrence of prolonged headaches;
- Signs of nausea;
- To vomit.
Normally, when performing a biochemical blood test, a small amount of blood is collected. A sober person will not notice any significant changes. However, alcohol molecules disrupt metabolic processes andnegatively influencein cerebral circulation.
If you are faced with the problem of alcoholism, the modern clinic offers alcoholism treatment services using effective methods.
Impact on blood sugar sampling results
Blood tests for sugar readings are usually prescribed for patients with metabolic disorders. During the study, a finger prick is performed. If alcoholic beverages were consumed before the analysis, the blood composition becomes thick, this creates some difficulties in collection and also increasesrisk of blood clots.
Ethyl alcohol has a detrimental effect on the liver. It also negatively affects reagents and the functioning of laboratory instruments. For this reason, two different results can occur – increased or decreased blood glucose levels.
1 gram of ethyl alcohol causes an increase in kilocalories to almost 7 units. The fact is that the molecules in alcoholic beverages instantly interfere with metabolic processes. And under the influence of liver enzymes, glucose is formed. What happens in the endincrease in sugar levelsIn the blood.
Drinks containing alcohol can temporarily lower blood glucose levels. It is maintained within normal limits for 2. 5 hours a day, provided by carbohydrates entering the digestive organs. During the rest of the period, the liver produces glucose and draws on the body's reserves. However, alcohol canstop this process, which can lead to a drop in glucose.
The effect of alcohol on urine analysis
You should not drink alcohol before having a urine test, as drinking may alter the test results. If drinks containing alcohol have already been consumed, the diagnosis should not be made the next day, it is better to wait 2 to 5 days for ethyl alcohol tocompletely removedof the body.
Under the influence of alcohol, the following changes in analyzes can be observed:
- There is an increase in urea levels;
- Increased lactic acid;
- Increased glucose levels;
- If alcoholic beverages contain dyes, preservatives or elements to enhance the flavor, traces of these substances will be detected in the urine for at least 2 to 3 days.
To speed up the elimination of alcohol, taking medications with a diuretic effect is not recommended. They gooverload the kidneys. Along with harmful components, beneficial substances and a large amount of potassium will be excreted.
When can you drink alcoholic beverages?
Alcohol can greatly alter the data of any test - blood, urine and even spermogram. ThereforeNot recommendeddrink before the exam. It is especially important to stop drinking alcohol before performing a test during major operations.
If the illness is not very serious, small amounts of alcohol are permitted. But the doctor must inform each patient about thisindividually.
Before 2 to 3 days of diagnosis, you must stop consuming drinks containing alcohol. During this period, the body experiences attenuation of processes that can greatly affect the state of the body.
It is not recommended to drink alcohol before the tests, in any case ethyl alcohol will have a negative effect on the results. And this could end up leadingfor a wrong diagnosis. It is better not to take alcohol-containing drinks and medications a few days before diagnosis. The only situation in which alcohol does not change the indicators is in the alcohol intoxication test, recommended for drivers and some workers.