Slow marker of inflammation
Different acute phase proteins react at different rates: C-reactive protein increases after 6 hours, orosomucoid after 24-48 hours, but also persists longer. Thanks to this, it better reflects not the acute onset, but the ongoing activity of the process, which is convenient for the control of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases. The indicator is also used in oncology as a nonspecific marker of process activity. Additional feature: orosomucoid binds many drugs, and changes in its level affect the concentration of the free active fraction of the drug in the blood.
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.