Question

If Sylvia tells you that she ate breakfast before coming in for the test what should vou do?

Answer 1

If SYLVIA had breakfast before coming for the blood test doesn't necessarily mean it will not be performed,

fasting before the blood test totally depends upon the type of blood test she is going for, some tests may give false results with breakfast and some don't,

there are few types of blood test which are required fasting before blood withdrawal and that is

a) Blood glucose fasting test.

it is the test which is performed to check the level of sugar in an individual body, a diabetic client has much sugar in their blood and fasting blood sugar level determines the level of exact sugar in the body, which is very much helpful in making the diagnosis and for prescribing medicine and treatment accordingly.

it is instructed to the patient to be on fast before 8 to 10 hours of blood withdrawal, that individual is allowed to drink water.

b) Blood test for cholesterol.

The fatty substance that is found in the body if it increases more than normal it can lead to various chronic health conditions,

there are 3 types of cholesterol in the body,

High-density cholesterol, low-density cholesterol, and triglycerides.

low-density cholesterol is considered as the bad cholesterol while the high-density cholesterol is the good cholesterol.

the amount is increased if an individual takes food before the blood test, so people are told not to eat anything at least for 10 hours before a blood test. although it is not necessary for triglycerides.

c) Blood test for iron

There is a certain food that contains iron and it gets absorbed very fast in the body and can give false iron result, to get the exact level of the iron client is told not to eat anything before an iron blood test if an individual takes iron supplements is also advised to avoid taking it at least for 24 hours.

d) Renal function tests.

e) Metabolic tests or a few vitamins test such as vitamin B 12.

fasting is advised to the client prior to certain tests because after a meal the fat, the carbohydrates, the sugar, and the iron metabolizes and gets absorbed in the blood which gives a false reading of the test.

some test doesn't require fasting such as post parenteral blood glucose test, triglycerides test, etc that can be performed even after the individual has consumed the meal before a blood test.

if Sylvia has to go for the tests which require fasting is not advised as it gives a false and inaccurate result which can have a direct impact on the false diagnosis and the treatment associated with it.

if she is not going for the test which requires fasting then she will be allowed for the blood test such as triglycerides, screening of metabolic syndromes or the diseases, screening for heart diseases that are not getting treated for HDL, etc.

so, from this question, it can be concluded that not all blood tests require fasting, few blood tests are acceptable even after a meal as it doesn't affect the reading of the blood test.