Why are biochemical studies needed? What should you not eat before taking a blood test for biochemistry, sampling rules, and what are the consequences of non-compliance with them? When is the best time to take a biochemical blood test?

Excess urea indicates that the kidneys are not working well. When urea decreases in the body, a large amount of ammonia is formed, this happens in case of poisoning. Also, various liver diseases lead to a decrease in urea.

The release of ALT and AST means that liver cells have died.

In order for the results to be reliable, careful preparation is required before donating blood for biochemical analysis.

How to prepare for a biochemical blood test?

It involves quite serious restrictions in diet and daily routine. Let's consider the main recommendations depending on what indicators will be studied.

• When testing blood for urea, a couple of days before the test, you should not eat kidneys, liver, fish dishes, deli meats, as well as coffee and tea. It is better not to engage in physical exercise on the eve of the analysis.
• If you are going to test your cholesterol levels, it is also important to know how to prepare for biochemistry. Blood donation should be no earlier than 12 hours after eating. 14 days before the test, you need to stop taking lipid-lowering medications.
• As already mentioned, when testing blood for glucose, you cannot eat or drink anything, and even brushing your teeth is not recommended. All medications should be stopped on the day of administration.

Additional preparation

There are some other indicators that are often detected in blood biochemistry. These are glucose-tolerant haptoglobin, alpha-2-macroglobulin, fibrotest. Let's look at each of them in more detail.

• A glucose tolerance test is performed with preliminary glucose level results. Here you also need preparation for biochemistry. Blood donation will be carried out twice. The sample is taken on an empty stomach and with a glucose load 2 hours after it. Interestingly, the usual diet and physical activity are maintained for several days.
• Haptoglobin - estrogens, sulfasalazine, androgens, tamoxifen, and oral contraceptives are excluded before analysis.
• Alpha-2-macroglobulin - you should not eat meat for three days before analyzing this indicator.
• Fibrotest - oranges, carrots, ascorbic acid are excluded for a couple of days, since these products can lead to a change in the color of the blood serum.

This article discusses the preparation of a patient for a biochemical blood test.

Any medical examination begins with laboratory tests. It helps to monitor the performance of internal organs. Let's take a closer look at what is included in the research and why it is carried out.

The state of the blood can be used to judge a person's health. The most informative type of laboratory test is biochemical analysis, which indicates problems in different parts of the organ system. Yes, if the pathology has just begun to develop and no obvious symptoms appear, the biochemistry indicators will differ from the norm, which will help prevent the further development of the problem.

Almost all areas of medicine use this type of research. A biochemical blood test is necessary to monitor the functioning of the pancreas, kidneys, liver, and heart. Based on the results of the analysis, you can see deviations in metabolism (metabolism) and begin timely therapy. By donating blood biochemistry, you can find out which microelement the body lacks.

Depending on the patient’s age, the panel of required tests changes. For children, the studied indicators are lower than for adults and the norm values ​​vary depending on age.

A blood biochemistry test is mandatory for pregnant women.

Women should take the research responsibly, because the health and intrauterine development of the unborn child depends on it.

Control sampling is carried out in the first and last trimester. If constant monitoring is necessary, tests may be ordered more often. Sometimes, indicators deviating from normal values ​​may indicate several diseases at once. Therefore, only a specialist can establish a diagnosis and prescribe a treatment method based on the results obtained. The number of indicators for the study is determined individually for each patient and depends on the complaints and the intended diagnosis.

A biochemical blood test can be prescribed both for preventive purposes and for the need to determine which organ has failed. The attending physician must determine the need for this examination, but in any case it will not be superfluous, and you should not be afraid of it.

Depending on the clinical picture of the disease, indicators will be selected that will “tell” with maximum accuracy about the processes occurring in the body.

Biochemical analysis is prescribed for diagnosis:

• Kidney, liver failure (hereditary pathologies).
• Disturbances in the functioning of the heart muscle (heart attack, stroke).
• Diseases in the musculoskeletal system (arthritis, arthrosis, osteoporosis).
• Pathologies of the gynecological system.
• Diseases of the circulatory system (leukemia).
• Diseases of the thyroid gland (diabetes mellitus).
• Deviations in the functioning of the stomach, intestines, pancreas.

The main symptoms for prescribing and drawing blood include pain in the abdomen, signs of jaundice, a strong smell of urine, vomiting, arterial hypotension, chronic fatigue, and constant thirst.

Depending on the results of the analysis, it is possible to determine the pathological process occurring in the body and its stage.

A biochemical blood test can be performed on a newborn child to exclude hereditary diseases. At a younger age, studies are carried out if there are signs of retardation in physical or mental development and for monitoring (diagnosis) of the disease. This test can detect genetic disorders.

Having received the results of the study, the doctor will make a diagnosis or prescribe additional examination options to make the picture of the disease more complete. It is possible to judge obvious disturbances in the functioning of internal organs if the values ​​differ from the physiological norm corresponding to the patient’s age.

Useful video about biochemical blood test:

Indicators of a standard blood test panel for biochemistry

A biochemical blood test contains many indicators. To determine the pathology, the doctor prescribes a study only on certain points that are related to a specific organ and will reflect its functionality.

A biochemical blood test is a very informative method of medical diagnosis, which allows you to characterize the state of organs (most often the kidneys, liver and endocrine system) metabolism, determine the need for vitamins, and also identify the presence of inflammation. Simply put, it allows you to make the most accurate diagnosis and detect health problems.

It can be prescribed by a doctor of any specialization, since this diagnostic method is used in almost all branches of medicine. Most often, the results are presented in the form of a summary table. It is recommended to conduct a biochemical blood test annually for the sake of prevention and monitoring of the functioning of your body, which is very important.

The composition of a person's blood changes depending on everything happening inside the body. As mentioned above, it is advisable to carry it out annually, even if nothing hurts you.

Your doctor may order a test to determine how well your treatment is going., confirm or refute the suspected disease.

Each person takes his very first blood test in the maternity hospital on the fourth or seventh day after birth. It allows you to determine the presence of hereditary diseases, because the earlier they are detected, the easier it will be to fight them. Other blood tests are carried out only if some problems are found in the baby.

If there is a suspicion of deterioration in the functioning of any organ or diabetes mellitus, a blood test is used to determine the quality of metabolism:

• proteins;
• carbohydrates;
• lipids;
• iron, etc.

By identifying the presence, quantity and quality of chemical elements in the blood, conclusions are drawn about the presence of the disease.

During pregnancy, it is prescribed in the first and third trimester. If the pregnancy is difficult, with ongoing toxicosis, pain and severe poor health, then blood biochemistry must be carried out more often.

In addition, it is prescribed for problems with:

1. musculoskeletal system;
2. heart and kidney diseases;
3. with anemia;
4. allergies;
5. blood clotting disorder.

What are the do's and don'ts when preparing?

Before donating blood, you need to perform simple preparatory steps so that the result is as correct as possible.

Attention! For biochemical analysis, blood is taken from a vein, since there is more “high-quality” and accurate material that can “tell” in more detail about everything necessary.

Many people are interested in whether they take the test in the morning and on an empty stomach or not. The answer is yes: Blood is drawn after 12 or 10 hours of fasting, between eight and eleven o'clock in the morning.

• During the day, it is advisable to drink only non-carbonated liquid; it is better to avoid heavy meals.
• Ask your doctor if you need to stop taking your medications and for how many days. The composition of the blood changes due to medications, and they can distort the accuracy of the results.
• It is undesirable to smoke at least an hour in advance, and drink alcoholic beverages for a couple of days.
• It is also necessary to briefly stop taking biologically active food supplements and taking medicinal herbs.
• During the day, it is recommended not to take a steam bath or sauna, or engage in physical activity.
• You need to donate blood before any other medical procedures, including ultrasound and x-rays.
• It is recommended not to brush your teeth or put anything in your mouth at all, because taste receptors can “turn on” the pancreas, which will affect the release of insulin into the blood.

How should I submit it correctly?

For biochemical analysis, blood is always taken from a vein. Only five to ten ml are needed, this is very little and will not harm your well-being in any way. The most suitable place where the needle is inserted more painlessly is the bend of the elbow, but if for some reason it is impossible to take blood from there, it is taken elsewhere.

Important! Before the procedure, the skin is treated with an antiseptic solution and blood is drawn into a test tube, which is sent to the laboratory.

Nowadays, there are a huge number of different analyzers that can provide the entire characteristics of the blood composition in just a few hours, and in just a few days the results will be in the patient’s hands.

The analysis results come in a table, which shows what exactly the study was conducted on, what indicators were obtained and their relationship with the norm.

What indicators are determined?

To begin with, keep in mind that for men and women of different ages, normal indicators usually differ.

So, blood biochemistry examines:

The price depends on whether your doctor prescribes an extended or narrow blood test. In Moscow, a narrow profile costs about five thousand, a wide one - about six. Also, the blood sampling procedure itself can cost about two hundred rubles.

Reference! You can get tested in a private clinic or laboratory. For example, INVITRO and Family Medicine are widely popular.

Even if you know exactly all the normal indicators and diseases associated with them, do not diagnose yourself and certainly do not self-medicate. There is a high probability of a mistake, which can only aggravate the disease. Only a specialist trained in medicine can make a correct diagnosis and prescribe the necessary medications.

Useful video

In addition to the article, we suggest watching an informative video about a biochemical blood test:

It remains the most common and inexpensive method for diagnosing almost any disease. If a particular disease is suspected, blood is first donated. This is the primary diagnosis, which sets the direction for further examination. Everyone has encountered such an analysis; even newborns have blood taken to determine possible pathologies. This analysis is quite informative, fast and inexpensive.

Biochemical blood test: significance of the analysis and purpose

LHC is an analysis that allows you to evaluate the functioning of a person’s internal organs

Sometimes the deviation is due to physiological reasons, violations of the rules for preparing and taking the analysis. Therefore, you should take a blood test several times in the same laboratory.

Reasons for rejection:

• Deviations from the norm of total protein. If the indicator is excessively elevated, this indicates a metabolic disorder. As a rule, this condition is not asymptomatic. Diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting appear. Rheumatism, infections, and cancer can lead to this condition. Reduced protein can be a consequence of a variety of diseases of the pancreas, therefore, with low protein, other biochemical indicators must be assessed.
• Albumin abnormality. This protein is produced in the liver, so any deviation from the norm primarily indicates that the functioning of this organ is impaired. The most dangerous is low albumin. It indicates that the liver is not working enough, and can also indicate diseases, purulent processes in the body, and cancer.
• Deviation from the norm of ALT and AST. These are liver enzymes, but their elevated levels in the blood can indicate not only inflammatory and chronic diseases, but also pancreatitis, heart disease, and oncology. A sharp decrease in the norm most often indicates severe liver disease.
• Abnormal amylase levels. Alpha amylase and pancreatic amylase indicate the functioning of the pancreas. If the levels are elevated, the cause may be pancreatitis, stones, tumors and cysts in the pancreas, and kidney disease.
• Abnormal lipase. This enzyme is designed to break down fats. Most often in blood biochemistry, attention is paid to pancreatic lipase. A sharp increase in the indicator is observed immediately after an attack of acute pancreatitis. The indicator can increase several times. However, the level of lipase also increases in cases of pancreatic cancer, intestinal obstruction, heart disease, and diabetes mellitus.

Reasons for deviation: lipids, carbohydrates and pigments

Deviations from the norm in LBC indicators are a sign of dangerous diseases of internal organs

Among lipids, carbohydrates and pigments, attention is primarily paid to glucose and:

• is an indicator of the functioning of the endocrine system. When glucose increases, we can talk about a disruption in the production of insulin, including insulin, which controls blood sugar. Elevated glucose levels, called hyperglycemia, can indicate diabetes mellitus, pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, heart attack, liver and kidney diseases, including cancer. However, it is worth remembering that increased blood sugar levels are caused by excessive smoking, stress and poor diet. A decrease in glucose levels is also an alarming indicator of many diseases, such as oncology, liver diseases (cirrhosis,), pancreas, poisoning.
• The level of cholesterol in the blood is closely monitored in diseases of the cardiovascular system, since cholesterol plaques are often their cause. With elevated cholesterol levels, it settles on the walls of blood vessels, causing their lumen to narrow. Elevated cholesterol can indicate both heart disease and diseases of the liver, kidneys, pancreas, and diabetes.
• is destroyed in the liver, but at high levels in the blood it causes a phenomenon such as. Increased bilirubin is observed in small premature babies due to insufficient liver function, as well as with a lack of vitamin D, liver tumors, cirrhosis, alcohol poisoning, and gallstones. Elevated bilirubin requires further evaluation of the liver.

The decoding should be done by a doctor. A deviation of one or another indicator can signal a number of different indicators. To understand what examination to conduct next, all biochemistry indicators as a whole are assessed, and blood must be donated again.