Before prescribing treatment for any disease, the necessary examination should be carried out. The choice of therapeutic therapy depends on the correct diagnosis. But taking any drugs or substances can negatively affect the test results. It is also worth bearing in mind that you should not drink alcohol before tests, because strong drinks cansignificantly change the results. And to make sure of this, it is worth looking at the characteristics of the influence of alcohol on the examinations conducted.
The effect of alcohol on blood tests
In the diagnosis of various diseases, blood tests are often done. It is used to determine the causes of the pathology, its form, degree of complexity and many other indicators. To ensure accurate results, it is worth excluding conditions that could change them, including drinking beverages that contain alcohol.
To take into account! Thorough preparation is required before taking the tests. It is recommended1-2 days before the diagnosisstop drinking alcoholic beverages and taking various medications.
How alcohol affects blood tests:
- It causes destruction of the membrane of red blood cells and reduces their mobile 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 tests can cause a diagnosiswrong diagnosisin a healthy person, namely diabetes;
- Increases lactic acid. As a result, incorrect diagnoses may be made, which may be related to the heart and blood vessels;
- Increases urea levels;
- Increases the indicatorcholesterol;
- Increases the content of neutral fats. As a result, the specialist can assume that the patient has problems with blood vessels, heart activity and liver;
- Causes changes in the content of micro- and macroelements. This makes it difficult to determine which substances are needed;
- Leads tochanges in hormone levels.
Alcoholic drinks greatly distort the results of blood tests. False readings can lead a doctor to misdiagnosewrong diagnosis. And this can be a consequence of choosing the wrong therapy for treatment, which as a result can negatively affect health.
Features of the influence of alcoholic beverages on test results
You should not drink alcohol before taking tests. Products containing alcohol cansignificantly change the results, but still not only worth abandoning before performing 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 whether alcohol can be drunk before blood tests, experts will answer in the negative. Under the influence of alcohol components, research data can be distorted:
- Red blood cells are destroyed;
- Cholesterol levels rise (sometimes up to 80%);
- Hemoglobin decreases.
The main danger of consuming drinks containing alcohol immediately before the diagnosis is that theyhave a strong effecton indicators of erythrocyte concentration. It destroys them, but they are of great importance for health. They carry 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 causesdisrupting their movements, stop repelling each other and stick to each other. As a result, the level of red blood cells decreases and this leads to a significant decrease in hemoglobin. 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. It interferes with a complete blood test.
Influence on the results of biochemical studies
Especially affectingalcohol on biochemical blood tests, it distorts the results obtained. This survey has been completed. Using it, you can find out which components are not enough for the body and which, on the contrary, are present in excess amounts.
Changes in the biochemical blood test are observed under the influence of alcoholic beverages:
- Decreased glucose levels;
- Decrease in urea levels;
- Cells cannot absorb oxygen at full capacity;
- Impairment of a person's well-being.
Drinking alcoholic beverages can cause a sharp drop in glucose levels. This can be especially dangerous during diabetes.
When drinking alcohol, the levels of uric acid in the blood decrease and this can negatively affect health. The doctor canwrong diagnosis. Decreased urea levels may indicate serious circulatory problems. Urea is needed to remove nitrogen from the body, and if this element is elevated, it can 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 heart disease, thrombosis of cerebral vessels and viral hepatitis.
important! Many specialists try not to use drugs containing alcohol when conducting tests. However, they are believed to be identifiablevarious infections. But still, ethyl alcohol can significantly change the results, so that even a professional cannot understand them.
You should not take tests after drinking alcohol, it is better to wait 2-3 days. If the patient undergoes a biochemical examination during a hangover, he may experience the following conditions:
- seizure;
- The appearance of a prolonged headache;
- Signs of nausea;
- Vomiting.
Usually, when performing a biochemical blood test, a small amount of blood is taken. A sober person will not notice significant changes. However, alcohol molecules disrupt metabolic processes andnegative influenceon cerebral circulation.
If you are facing the problem of alcoholism, then the modern clinic offers alcoholism treatment services using effective methods.
Influence on the results of taking blood for sugar
Blood sugar reading tests are usually prescribed to patients with metabolic disorders. During the examination, a finger prick is performed. If alcoholic beverages were consumed before the analysis, the composition of the blood becomes thick, this creates some difficulties in collecting it, and also increasesrisk of blood clots.
Ethyl alcohol has a detrimental effect on the liver. It also negatively affects reagents and the performance of laboratory instruments. For this reason, two different results can occur - increased or decreased blood sugar levels.
1 gram of ethyl alcohol leads to 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 happens in the endincrease in sugar levelsin the blood.
Drinks containing alcohol can temporarily lower blood sugar levels. It is maintained within normal limits for 2. 5 hours a day, which is provided by the carbohydrates that enter the digestive organs. During the rest of the period, the liver produces glucose, it resorts to reserves in the body. However, alcohol candisrupt this process, which can lead to a drop in glucose.
The effect of alcohol on urinalysis
You should not drink alcohol before a urine test, as the drink can change the results of the test. If you have already drunk drinks with alcohol, then you should not carry out diagnostics the next day, it is better to wait 2-5 days, so that ethyl alcoholcompletely withdrawnfrom 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;
- Increase in glucose levels;
- If alcoholic beverages contain dyes, preservatives or elements to improve taste, traces of these substances will be detected in the urine for at least 2-3 days.
In order to accelerate the elimination of alcohol, it is not recommended to drink drugs with a diuretic effect. They willoverload the kidneys. Along with harmful components, useful substances and a large amount of potassium will be excreted.
When can you drink alcoholic beverages?
Alcohol can significantly change the data of any tests - blood, urine and even spermogram. Therefore itIt is not recommendeddrink before the test. It is especially important to stop drinking alcohol before having a test during major surgery.
If the disease is not very serious, then small amounts of alcohol are allowed. But the doctor must inform every patient about thisindividually.
2-3 days before the diagnosis, you should stop drinking alcoholic beverages. During this period, processes in the body slow down, which can significantly 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 can ultimately lead toto a wrong diagnosis. A few days before the diagnosis, it is better not to take alcoholic beverages and medicines. The only situation where alcohol does not change the indicators is a test for alcohol intoxication, which is indicated for drivers and some workers.