When is it prescribed?
The Demodex mite lives in the openings of hair follicles and sebaceous glands and is found in small numbers on many healthy people. It becomes a problem when it multiplies excessively: persistent blepharitis develops with itching, redness and peeling of the edges of the eyelids, loss of eyelashes, a feeling of sand in the eyes, and rosacea and persistent redness on the skin of the face. The study consists of removing several eyelashes from each eyelid and microscopying them and counting the number of mites. The diagnosis is made not by the fact of detection itself, but by the number of individuals. Before the analysis, you should not use cosmetics or ointments for the eyelids for several days.
Why preparation is so important
The laboratory result is a number, but the correct number can only be obtained if the rules are followed. Eating changes the levels of glucose, lipids and a number of enzymes significantly; physical activity the day before increases CK and AST; smoking affects hormones; time of day is critical for cortisol and testosterone.
Therefore, a “bad analysis” often turns out to be a consequence of impaired preparation, and not an illness, and leads to unnecessary examinations and prescriptions.
General rules for donating blood
- on an empty stomach 8–12 hours, you can drink water
- Eliminate alcohol and intense exercise per day
- no smoking in an hour
- donate blood before physiotherapy, x-rays and massage
- Take medications in advance by agreeing with your doctor
- for hormones in women, take into account the day of the cycle
How to read the result
Reference values depend on the method and equipment of the laboratory, so it is correct to compare results only within the same laboratory. A deviation of a few percent from the normal limit in itself rarely matters - the overall picture and dynamics are important. It is up to the physician to interpret the analysis: an isolated indicator without a clinical context is often misleading.