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What influences the results of laboratory tests? How important is the proper preparation for the test so that the result is as reliable as possible. Certain factors have an invariable influence on the laboratory test result: gender, wholemeal membership, while others: age, diet, physical fitness, biological rhythms (e.g. women's monthly cycle), pregnancy and drug use change throughout our lives.
The results of laboratory testsdo not depend only on whether we eat he althy or sick. Individual fluctuations in the examined parameters occur in each of us. This is due to many factors. Some are unchanging: gender, race. Others, such as: age, diet, physical fitness, biological rhythms (women's monthly cycle), pregnancy and taking medications, change throughout our lives.
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The results of laboratory tests are influenced by the load on the body
The meal and time of day immediately before or during the sampling for analysis have an effect on the laboratory test result. The amount and type of food, for example eaten even a few hours before blood sampling, can significantly change some values. Some tests may require an empty stomach (e.g. cholesterol or glucose tests). A physician must always consider these factors when evaluating the results. Some tests require taking a sample at a specific time of the day (e.g. in the morning) or in a certain state (e.g. on an empty stomach).
Main factors influencing laboratory values
» Gender - many laboratory values have different reference ranges for women and men.
» Age - children often use different reference values than adults. In older people, there are also deviations from many reference values with age, but this does not indicate a disease.
» Body weight - some results of laboratory tests may be significantly overweight or underweight.
» Nutrition - unvaried or improper nutrition can affect some laboratory values.
» Stimulants - constant alcohol abuse affects, among other things, the blood picture and liver condition indicators. In some people, after consuming alcohol for severalhours or even days, disturbances in the lipid profile, i.e. altered blood fat levels, persist.
» Drugs and narcotics - many active substances can alter or falsify laboratory values, sometimes permanently, even if you stop taking them.
» Time of day - the body fluctuates depending on the time of day, which is also reflected in some laboratory values. Therefore, certain tests should always be performed at the same time, taking into account the daily rhythm of secretion of certain substances.
» Influence of hormones - not only the levels of sex hormones change during pregnancy. Many other values also show variations which, however, are generally not disease symptoms.