Why is an antibiogram needed?
Prescribing an antibiotic “blindly” works as long as the pathogen is typical and sensitive. In case of chronic and recurrent infections, as well as after several unsuccessful courses of treatment, this approach ceases to work: the flora has time to develop resistance. Sowing solves two problems - it accurately determines which microorganism causes inflammation and in what quantity, and shows which drugs it is sensitive to and which it is resistant to. This allows you to prescribe a working antibiotic the first time instead of overdoing it. The study takes 5–7 days: the culture needs to grow. An important condition is that the material is taken BEFORE the start of antibacterial therapy, otherwise the result will be false negative.
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.