Before prescribing treatment for any disease, the necessary examinations must be carried out. The choice of therapeutic therapy depends on the correct diagnosis. But taking any drug or substance can negatively affect the test results. It is also worth considering that you should not drink alcohol before the test, as strong drinks cangreatly alter the results. And to ensure this, it is appropriate to consider the characteristics of the influence of alcohol on the exam conducted.
Effects of alcohol on blood tests
When diagnosing various diseases, blood tests are often performed. It is used to determine the cause of pathology, its form, degree of complexity and many other indicators. To ensure accurate results, it is desirable to exclude conditions that can change it, including drinking alcoholic beverages.
Take notes! It is necessary to do careful preparation before taking the test. Recommended1-2 days before diagnosisstop drinking alcoholic beverages and taking various medications.
How alcohol affects blood tests:
- It causes the destruction of red blood cell membranes and reduces their 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 the test can lead to a misdiagnosismisdiagnosisin healthy people, i. e. diabetes;
- Increases lactic acid. As a result, an incorrect diagnosis may be made that may be related to the heart and blood vessels;
- Increase urea levels;
- Increase the indicatorcholesterol;
- Increase neutral fat content. As a result, experts 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 materials are needed;
- Leads tochanges in hormone levels.
Drinks with alcohol greatly distort the results of blood tests. Incorrect readings can cause the doctor to misdiagnosemisdiagnosis. And this may be the result of choosing the wrong treatment therapy, which as a result can negatively affect health.
Characteristics of the influence of alcoholic beverages on test results
You should not drink alcohol before taking the test. Products containing alcohol cangreatly alter the results, but still not only it should be left before running diagnostics. Nicotine, failure to follow a healthy diet, as well as various drugs cause distortion of indicators.
How does it affect the overall analysis?
When asked if alcohol can be drunk before the blood test, the specialist will answer in the negative. Under the influence of alcohol components, research data may be distorted:
- Red blood cells are destroyed;
- Cholesterol level increases (sometimes it can reach up to 80%);
- Hemoglobin is reduced.
The main danger of consuming alcoholic beverages immediately before diagnosis is that theyhave a strong effecton the erythrocyte concentration indicator. It destroys them, but they are very important 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, the destruction of the erythrocyte membrane is observed. It causestheir movement disorders, they stop pushing 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 is possiblelife threateningpeople. It interferes with the full blood test.
Effects on the results of biochemical studies
Especially impactfulalcohol on a biochemical blood test, it distorts the results obtained. This study is complete. Using it, you can find out which components are insufficient for the body, and which, on the contrary, are present in excessive quantities.
Under the influence of drinks with alcohol, changes in biochemical blood tests are observed:
- Glucose levels decrease;
- Decreased urea levels;
- Cells cannot absorb oxygen at full capacity;
- Deterioration of a person's well-being.
Drinking alcoholic beverages can cause a sudden drop in glucose levels. This can be especially dangerous during diabetes.
When drinking alcohol, the level of uric acid in the blood decreases, and this can negatively affect health. The doctor canmisdiagnosis. Decreased urea levels may indicate that there is a severe circulatory problem. Urea is needed to remove nitrogen from the body, and if this element is elevated, this may indicate the presence of gout and chronic arthritis.
Alcohol often leads to an increase in triacylglycerol in the blood. These fats are characteristic of pathologies such as atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, cerebral vascular thrombosis, and viral hepatitis.
Important! Many experts try not to use drugs that contain alcohol during the test. However, they are believed to be able to identifyvarious infections. Nevertheless, ethyl alcohol can change the results, so that even a professional cannot think about it.
You can not carry out the test after drinking alcohol, it is better to wait 2-3 days. If the patient undergoes a biochemical study while drunk, he may experience the following conditions:
- Fainting;
- Prolonged occurrence of headaches;
- Signs of nausea;
- vomiting
Usually, when doing a biochemical blood test, a small amount of blood is taken. A self-aware person will not notice any significant changes. However, alcohol molecules interfere with metabolic processes, andnegative influenceon brain circulation.
If you are dealing with the problem of alcoholism, then modern clinics offer alcoholism treatment services using effective methods.
Effects on blood sampling results for sugar
Blood tests for sugar readings are usually prescribed for patients with metabolic disorders. During the study, a finger prick is performed. If alcoholic beverages are consumed before the analysis, the composition of the blood becomes concentrated, this creates some difficulties when collecting it, and also increasesrisk of blood clots.
Ethyl alcohol has adverse effects on the liver. It also negatively affects reagents and the operation of laboratory instruments. For this reason, two different results can occur - an increase or decrease in blood glucose levels.
1 gram of ethyl alcohol causes an increase in kilocalories to almost 7 units. The fact is that the molecules of alcoholic beverages immediately interfere with metabolic processes. And under the influence of liver enzymes, glucose is formed. What happened in the endincreased sugar levelsin the blood.
Alcohol-containing drinks can temporarily lower blood glucose levels. It is kept within the normal limit of 2. 5 hours a day; this is provided by the carbohydrates that enter the digestive organs. During the rest, the liver produces glucose; it uses reserves in the body. However, alcohol candisrupt this process, which can cause a drop in glucose.
Effects of alcohol on urinalysis
You should not drink alcohol before taking a urine test, because the drink can alter the test results. If a drink with alcohol has been drunk, then you can not carry out diagnostics the next day; it is better to wait 2-5 days so that ethyl alcoholfully withdrawnfrom the body.
Under the influence of alcohol, the following changes in the analysis may be observed:
- There is an increase in urea levels;
- Increased lactic acid;
- Increased glucose levels;
- If alcoholic beverages contain coloring components, preservatives, or elements to improve taste, then the effects 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 drink drugs with a diuretic effect. They willstrain 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 change the data of any test - blood, urine and even spermogram. Therefore it isNot encourageddrink before the exam. It is very important to stop drinking alcohol before having the test during a major operation.
If the disease is not so serious, then a small amount of alcohol is allowed. But the doctor must tell every patient about thisas an individual.
Before 2-3 days of diagnosis, you must stop drinking alcoholic beverages. During this period, the body experiences a reduction in processes that can affect the body's condition.
It is not recommended to consume alcohol before the test; in any case, ethyl alcohol will have a negative effect on the results. And this can finally bringto the wrong diagnosis. It is better not to take alcohol-containing drinks and medicines a few days before the diagnosis. The only condition where alcohol does not change the indicator is the alcohol intoxication test, which is indicated for drivers and some workers.