Many diseases in the initial stages are asymptomatic. Therefore, it is advisable even for he althy people to donate blood periodically so as not to miss the first signs of illness. Sometimes a person feels some kind of malfunction in the body, and the doctor gives a referral for blood donation for further research. Blood will tell a lot even when there are no pronounced symptoms of the disease, this will allow you to start fixing the problem as soon as possible.
Why do I need a blood test for cholesterol and sugar?
Even people who have nothing to do with medicine have heard the words: cholesterol, atherosclerosis, blood sugar and diabetes. Many people have experienced all these concepts. Every fifth inhabitant of the planet has disorders of the body's fat metabolism. Cholesterol in a small amount is useful and necessary for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system, the synthesis of bile acids, metabolic processes at the cellular level, and is involved in the production of sex hormones. Extracholesterol can cause headaches, dizziness, prevent normal concentration, negatively affect the memorization of information, lead to numbness of the limbs and periodic pain in the heart.
Things are no better with diabetes. People of different ages, genders and statuses suffer from the disease. The disease is widespread throughout the world and affects an increasing number of people. It is quite possible to diagnose the condition in the early stages. Things to watch out for:
- unquenchable thirst;
- frequent urge to urinate;
- dry mucous membranes;
- constant fatigue and weakness;
- deterioration of visual function;
- non-healing wounds, frequent boils;
- hyperglycemia.
If you have at least one of the symptoms, you should think about it and get an appointment with an endocrinologist as soon as possible. An experienced specialist knows that blood sugar and cholesterol levels go together and are closely related, arising from almost the same mistakes and he alth problems. The doctor will tell you how to properly donate blood for cholesterol and sugar, so that the indicators are as correct as possible.
Norm and deviations of cholesterol indicators
Cholesterol is good and bad. The differences between them and the role in the body are as follows:
- "Good" - a kind of lipoprotein particles that have a high density and protect blood vessels. They help in the prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system.
- "Bad" - this kindlipoprotein particles, which have a low density and are deposited on the walls of blood vessels. They are one of the main causes of atherosclerosis.
Often sent for analysis to determine the amount of total cholesterol in the blood, if it already showed poor results, then you need to clarify the content of each lipoprotein particle. How to donate blood for cholesterol and what does the result depend on? When conducting this test, the age of the patient must be taken into account, because in a different life span there are different indicators that are considered normal. So, for children, the acceptable concentration is 2.4 - 5.2 mmol / l. For adults - no more than 5.2 mmol / l. It is also worth considering the presence of excess weight, smoking, various diseases in the history of the patient and his lifestyle.
Indications
Analysis for cholesterol and sugar is mandatory for people with hypertension, suspected diabetes, after strokes, heart attacks, people suffering from heart failure, vascular and liver diseases.
If a person considers himself absolutely he althy, this does not mean that he does not need to do such an analysis. There are some risk factors, the presence of which implies periodic blood donation for research. The main ones are:
- smoking;
- being overweight, obese;
- men over 40 and women over 50;
- sedentary or sedentary lifestyle;
- wrong and irregular diet, eating fattyand fried foods;
- hypertension;
- presence of close relatives suffering from diabetes.
Preparation
Before you go to the laboratory, you need to know how to donate blood for cholesterol. You should follow simple principles:
- donate blood in the morning;
- it is better to stop eating any food 12 hours before donating blood;
- 24 hours before the tests, you should completely stop drinking kvass, kefir and alcohol;
- before it is better to limit physical and nervous stress;
- do not smoke before testing;
- Be sure to report any medications you are taking.
Many people are still wondering how to take a cholesterol test - on an empty stomach or not. Yes, and not only on an empty stomach, it is better to avoid eating altogether for 12 hours.
Also, many are interested in how blood is donated for cholesterol analysis, how to donate: from a finger or a vein. Blood for research is taken from a vein. This is a virtually painless procedure. To provide more accurate information about the number of particles in the body, only venous blood is suitable.
Types of tests
How to donate blood for cholesterol and what kind of analysis is needed, only a doctor can tell. Types of tests:
- Complete blood count - it is prescribed to determine the total number of particles in the body. The doctor prescribes such an analysis, afterexamination of the patient and collection of anamnesis.
- Biochemical - a more detailed analysis, it also shows other blood parameters. Combines several research methods: colorimetric, nephelometric, fluorimetric, titrimetric and gaschromatic.
- Express analysis, which can be carried out at home, in just 5 minutes you can already find out the results. To do this, you will need to purchase a special device with special test strips. This method of research will allow you to find out the level of cholesterol in the blood at any convenient time.
- Lipidogram - a detailed blood test for the amount of "good" and "bad" cholesterol. This analysis helps to make a more accurate diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
What you need to know before you go to take a cholesterol test, how to prepare - this will be told by the doctor who sends you to donate blood for research.
What do deviations indicate?
If everything was done correctly and the patient prepared as much as possible, and the results indicate an increased cholesterol index, then this indicates the presence of he alth problems. When to start worrying:
- if deviations from the norm exceed 5 units, this may be the beginning of the development of atherosclerosis;
- a coefficient of 3 to 4 suggests that it is worth considering, because the risk of developing atherosclerosis is very high;
- indicators that do not exceed 3 units indicate thatthe development of atherosclerosis is very unlikely, so do not worry yet.
If the astrogenicity coefficient is increased, then it is imperative to pass an analysis for sugar.
Low cholesterol
Cholesterol analysis is very important for making many diagnoses. How to take and should I worry when it is lowered? Of course, this condition can pose some danger to the body. Hypocholesterolemia can occur in the presence of certain diseases and failures:
- hypolipoproteinemia;
- acute infection, sepsis;
- liver cancer, cirrhosis or diseases accompanied by cell necrosis;
- starvation and cachexia;
- eating food containing fatty acids;
- large-area burns;
- malabsorption syndrome;
- niperthyroidism;
- chronic lung disease.
Influence of food
Many foods can raise or lower cholesterol and sugar levels. In order not to make elementary mistakes, you need to know exactly how to properly donate blood for cholesterol and glucose. It is not recommended to eat high-carb foods, fatty, fried and spicy. You shouldn't drink alcohol either. It is better to give up drinks that cause fermentation in the intestines, these include natural kvass and sour-milk drinks. What will the cholesterol test reveal, how to take it and what to eat before that? For 2-3 days, it is desirable to switch to vegetables, cereals and lean meat and fish. All products are best boiled or stewed. The last meal should not be later than 12 hours before the cut. If possible, it is better to stop taking medications that can distort the results.
Conclusions
Cholesterol and blood sugar testing is very important. Thanks to systematic control, it is possible to consider and prevent the problem in advance. Many deviations from the norm are corrected in the most common and simple ways, without the help of drugs.
Especially it is worth thinking about this for those people who are at risk. It is better for them to selectively treat food in advance and try to get rid of bad habits. Even if the condition requires taking certain medications, it is worth remembering that these measures are taken in order to prolong a person’s life and improve he alth. Too serious diseases lie in wait for those who do not want to understand this.
Be sure to ask your doctor about how to properly donate blood for cholesterol and how often this should be done. Preventing a disease is much easier than treating it. Simple recommendations will help to avoid cardiovascular diseases, which have become more common in recent years, and every year patients are getting younger.
