The well-being of a person depends on the work of his internal organs. Do not neglect any of them. At the moment, the conversation will be about the liver. There are many ways to diagnose it, one of them is thymol test. What is it now, we find out.
The essence of the procedure and why it is needed
Before understanding what this analysis is for, let us give it a definition. A thymol test is a biochemical blood test that answers the question of how protein synthesis in the liver occurs. A change in any ratio of proteins in serum indicates that a disease develops in the organ.
Thymol blood sample is coagulation. Thanks to it, colloidal instability of the plasma is determined. Based on the data obtained, liver pathology can be detected in the early stages. The first symptoms have not yet appeared, and violations have already been detected. What is colloidal instability? Normally, protein fractions do not precipitate. If this happens, then the disease has begun its “movement."
In simple terms, the essence of the analysis is to determine the degree of turbidity of serum. For these purposes, the photocolorimetric method is used. The unit of measure is maglan. Speaking about the chemical nature of the study, we can say that it consists in the formation of a globulin-thymololipid complex, consisting of:
- forty percent of globulins;
- thirty-two percent of thymol;
- eighteen percent of cholesterol;
- ten percent of phospholipids.
What the patient should know
Before you go to the procedure, you should get a little acquainted with how everything will happen.
- The doctor must explain to the patient for what purpose this analysis will be performed.
- The patient must be informed that the blood is taken from the vein, at what time this will happen, who will carry out the procedure.
- The patient is warned that discomfort may occur during the application of the tourniquet.
- You must tell your doctor if any medications are taken that may affect the result of the analysis. Most likely, you will have to stop their use.
- There are no restrictions in the diet.
- After the blood is drawn, the wound is pressed with a cotton ball to prevent bleeding.
- If a hematoma has formed, a warming compress is prescribed.
- After taking the sample, you can again use the drugs that were canceled before the study.
Analysis mechanism
You should know that a blood test - a thymol test - is given on an empty stomach, early in the morning. The use of food, coffee, tea, juice should stop eight hours before the procedure. Allowed to drink a small amount of water. Try to adhere to these rules, as the result obtained and the correctness of the diagnosis depend on them.
Now about the mechanism:
- Six milliliters of veronal-medinal buffer solution is taken. Its acidity should be equal to seven point eight tenths.
- To it add zero point one tenths of a milliliter of blood serum plus a saturated solution of thymol.
- The resulting mixture was left for thirty minutes.
- After that, using the photocolorimetric method, determine the degree of turbidity.
This result is also influenced by the conditions in which this analysis was conducted. These include: the nature of the buffer solution, its acidity and concentration, as well as the degree of purity and temperature of thymol.
Why do you need to determine the ratio of proteins
Thymol test - what it is, you already know. Now let's talk a little about blood proteins. Gathering in large quantities in the liver, they have several purposes:
- Provide the required blood volume.
- Maintain oncotic pressure.
- They control the pH of the blood, keep it at the same level.
- Carry to the tissues: bilirubin, cholesterol.
- Deliver drugs.
Blood serum contains five fractions of proteins: β - globulins, γ - globulins, as well as albumin, α1 - globulins, α2 - globulins. The quantity of each of them should not exceed the norm. But sometimes it crashes. Globulins exceed the norm in diseases of the liver, connective tissue, tumors, infections.
A decrease in albumin occurs with impaired liver function and malnutrition.
Medicine is developing, but the accuracy of the results obtained with a thymol test helps to ensure that this method is used very actively at present.
In what cases is an analysis assigned
A blood test - a thymol test - is often prescribed for suspected diseases such as viral hepatitis. The result will be especially high if the patient suffers from hepatitis A.
This examination will also help to detect toxic hepatitis. This diagnosis is usually determined in people who regularly consume alcohol and certain medications. In addition, thanks to the thymol test, the process of liver restoration after hepatitis is monitored.
The thymol test is increased with the following diagnoses: rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, lupus erythematosus.
Changes in the ratio of albumin to globulin are also affected by diseases of organs such as the kidneys. If the thymol test is increased, the reasons for obtaining such a result are pathological changes in this organ. This analysis is prescribed for suspected pancreatitis, any infection, with poor nutrition and abuse of fatty foods.
Excess Causes
Previously, when the analysis result deviated from the norm, only liver disease was diagnosed. After some time, it was found that such data can be obtained with other ailments. Nowadays, if the thymol test is increased, the reasons may be as follows. Patient:
- Liver disease develops.
- Kidney disease. Albumin protein is lost, it is excreted with urine. Such diseases as pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, amyloidosis are manifested.
- Heredity related protein metabolism.
- Rheumatoid pathology.
- Digestive diseases.
- Malignant formations.
- Myeloma
In addition to all of the above, a thymol test can be increased if the patient eats fatty foods in large quantities. In this case, one must pay attention to other biochemical parameters.
With liver pathology, you should definitely pay attention to bilirubin, cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase and the result of a sublimate test.
Decryption analysis
Thymol test - what is it? It is impossible to fully figure it out without knowing how the analysis results are deciphered. The data obtained can only refute or confirm a violation of the protein composition of the blood.
If you have passed the analysis, the thymol blood sample (norm) should be within five units or less. If the indicator is higher, then the result is positive, which means that a pathological process occurs in your body. When interpreting the data, factors such as weight, age, period of analysis, and medication should be taken into account.
As mentioned above, a positive result of the thymol test accompanies a large number of diseases, but nevertheless it is more significant for the detection of hepatitis at an early stage. But you should not rely only on this analysis. For a more complete examination, the thymol sample should be evaluated in conjunction with other studies.
More details about the results.
The thymol test is one of the most reliable tests that allows you to give a correct assessment of the functioning of the liver. Thanks to him, you can diagnose inflammation syndrome.
Absolutely positive result is obtained with infectious, toxic hepatitis, Botkin's disease. The same indicator is recorded during post-hepatitis and post-necrotic cirrhosis. With congestive, obstructive, cholestatic jaundice in twenty-five cases out of a hundred, the indicator will be positive. According to the results of the obtained data, differential diagnosis of jaundice is carried out.
In patients with subhepatic jaundice, a positive test will be only if there is a complication caused by parenchymal hepatitis.
For those who have had infectious hepatitis, the test gives an increased result for six months after discharge from the hospital.
When the pathological process occurring in the human body subsides, the thymol test index decreases.
Conclusion
The thymol test, what it is and why it is needed, you already know and understand. Even a slight increase in it should alert the attending physician. A change in the ratio of proteins indicates inflammatory processes in the liver.