A blood test is a frequently prescribed procedure to identify a specific medical condition in a person. All the experts are unanimous on whether you can smoke before taking tests.
Nicotine affects the biochemical parameters of the blood. An alkaloid can contribute to the specialist's misinterpretation of test results.
Impact on blood count
Before conducting a study, the doctor warns the patient why it is necessary to observe the prohibitions on its preparation. Whether smoking affects a blood test is independent of the type, brand and composition of cigarettes. Nicotine dramatically changes the structure of the biomaterial. The consequence of its use may be the reception of erroneous information. This also applies to marijuana and any other type of weed for smoking. Their use may be a reason to refer a patient for examination to a narcologist. Smoking also skews the results.
A bad habit has the following effect on human biomaterial indicators:
- changes the karyotype of the cell;
- causes a change in the properties of the platelets;
- increases the value of cholesterol;
- adjusts the ratio of hormones;
- converts biochemical substrates;
- makes false hemoglobin levels;
- increases the concentration of cortisol and catecholamines.
Smoking in the latter case causes a rapid decrease in the body fluid of eosinophils with neutrophils. There are gaps in the overall performance.
Due to the release of catecholamines, spasm of the arterioles occurs, which leads to deterioration of blood flow. The liquid itself becomes more viscous, which makes the process of collecting the patient slightly more difficult.
Due to nicotine, the oxygen supply to internal organs is reduced. As a result of the combination of hemoglobin and carbon monoxide, a new substance appears. It cannot provide oxygen to the tissues.
Oxyhemoglobin causes its acute shortage. Starvation of oxygen causes discomfort.
Warning!A smoker's lymphocyte count increases within an hour of using nicotine. A high concentration of these elements, when properly conducted, is an indicator of the development of inflammation in the body. Smoking leads the doctor to receive a false health result.
A person used to smoking one pack of cigarettes a day artificially increases hemoglobin levels. The study may not reveal that the patient has a very low protein value and an existing iron deficiency anemia.
Finger blood donation results
This procedure should be performed on an empty stomach. The doctor forbids smoking before handing over the biomaterial. If the patient used nicotine, then already in the first 30 minutes he has an increased catecholamine index. The level of cortisol in the fluid also increases significantly.
With the changes, a decrease in the value of eosinophils is observed. At the same time, the concentration of neutrophils increases. The result is a distortion of the study image.
Do not smoke for at least an hour before removing biomaterial from a finger. Doctors calculated how many hours before the start of the procedure it is allowed to smoke. You can do it in 4 hours, but it is better to abstain for 12 hours or per day.
Analysis of a biomaterial from a vein
This type of study, with good preparation, makes it possible to identify the greatest number of pathologies in a patient. Blood from a vein is taken for general, immunological and biochemical analysis.
The specialist forbids smoking before the procedure. Nicotine tends to alter the structure of the blood. Due to the action of the alkaloid and tobacco smoke, a lack of oxygen occurs, a failure occurs in the blood flow. The result is a distortion of the data obtained on the liquid.
Venous blood is considered the most informative biomaterial. Its closure is made to confirm or deny the presence of the following diseases:
- viral infections;
- hepatic and renal pathologies;
- cancerous tumors;
- violations in the digestive tract;
- disturbances in the hormonal activity of the body.
Blood is donated from a vein if HIV is suspected. It is forbidden to smoke 4 hours before the procedure.
Biomaterial from a vein is also taken to detect hepatitis. The patient must quit smoking three days before the study. If syphilis is detected, it is also necessary to avoid smoking for several days before the analysis.
In addition, the patient should donate blood on an empty stomach. It is forbidden to eat for 12 hours before the study.
Blood donation for glucose and smoking
Research is needed to identify a person with diabetes. Doctors do not recommend smoking at least an hour before the procedure. Nicotine itself has no significant effect on glucose levels, but the alkaloid affects other parameters of the biomaterial. In fact, it is not recommended to smoke 12 hours or 12 days before the sugar test.
Research of biomaterials for hormones
An alkaloid can negatively affect the body's hormones and glandular function. Quitting smoking is necessary before such research.
A bad habit should be avoided for 3 days before determining testosterone levels in men, as the property of nicotine is known to reduce its production by the testes.
When testing for hCG, the woman's body should stop smoking at least 2 hours before the test. This hormone is an indicator of the onset of pregnancy. A woman, after confirmation, is recommended to completely abandon the bad habit.
Nicotine may interfere with thyroid hormone tests. She is very sensitive to tobacco.
It is necessary not to smoke for three days before taking fluids to test thyroid function.
Particularly important!A bad habit causes the development of thrombocytopenia in a person. The disease is characterized by a bleeding disorder. Internal bleeding may result. This pathology is also dangerous with a high probability of the formation of clots (thrombi) in the vessels, endangering life.
How does this affect the donation?
Nicotine not only changes the cellular structure, but also the plasma structure of the blood. A person who decides to become a donor is the subject of a special study. Before the analysis, he must avoid alcohol for two days. It is important to quit smoking a few hours before the start of the study, as nicotine dramatically alters plasma biochemistry.
Analysis of habits and urine
Experts answer unequivocally the question of whether it is permissible to smoke before taking a urine test. They do not recommend using nicotine at least an hour before urinating in order to draw out bodily fluids. Tobacco and its components affect the composition of urine. In addition, if a person has smoked a narcotic herb, the analysis will reveal its presence in the urine.
Thus, doctors strongly discourage patients from using nicotine before submitting a biomaterial for analysis, as smoking can have a significant effect on its composition.
Cigarettes significantly affect a person's hormonal background, and smoking immediately before the study can significantly distort the picture of its results and lead to a misdiagnosis.