What is thymol test. An important analysis in the detection of early hepatitis is a thymol test

A biochemical blood test is used in the diagnosis of many diseases. The thymol sample is one of the indicators that are examined during this analysis. It shows the ability of the liver to synthesize protein compounds. However, deviations from the norm do not always indicate liver pathology. There are many reasons why thymol test values change. Consider what a thymol test is in a biochemical blood test.

Thymol test - what is it?

Thymol test is an indicator that shows the ratio of proteins (albumin and globulins) in human blood. With its help, you can easily identify a violation of this balance, which always accompanies the pathological process that occurs in the liver.

This sample has been used in medicine since 1944. For its implementation, the patient's blood plasma and a special reagent - an alcohol mixture of thymol are needed. In a verolan test tube, physiological saline, thymol mixture and plasma are combined. In this case, the degree of turbidity of the contents of the test tube is assessed. Normally, the turbidity of the resulting solution is weakly expressed., and in the presence of a certain pathology, it becomes white with a large amount of flakes (precipitate).

The degree of turbidity of the mixture is estimated by an electric photocolorimeter. The unit of measurement is "maklagan". It is so named after the scientist who invented the thymol test.

The norm of thymol blood test in women, men and children

In the absence of a pathology associated with a violation of the concentration of protein formations in the blood, the thymol test does not go beyond the limits of the norm, that is, it does not exceed them. It should be noted that the limits of the norm are the same for all people and does not depend on the sex and age of the patient.

A slight turbidity of the solution during the test corresponds to values from 0 to 4-5 Maclagan units. These values are considered negative, that is, the ratio of proteins in the blood is not disturbed.

If the result of the study exceeds 5 units, then it is considered that the sample is positive and there is a disease of the liver and other internal organs that occurs in acute or chronic form. Upon receipt of such an analysis result, it is necessary to undergo an additional examination in order to identify the cause of dysproteinemia, that is, an imbalance of proteins in the human body.

It should be noted that women may experience a false positive result. That is, the test is positive (more than 5 units), and there are no pathologies. This is possible when the fair sex takes hormonal oral contraceptives for a long time. Therefore, the doctor should clarify this point before referring the patient to a laboratory test.

Deciphering the analysis for a thymol sample

It should be remembered that only the calculation of indicators is carried out in the laboratory. The attending physician evaluates the result. At the same time, he must take into account factors that can affect the result:

patient weight;
Age;
Past illnesses;
The use of certain groups of drugs that can have a certain effect on the liver and its parameters.

If the result is negative, then the patient is healthy. If deviations from the norm are noted, then the doctor must find out the etiological factors of this condition.

What to consider when evaluating a positive result:

In young children, it is necessary to take into account the anamnesis, since a high result may be due to recent hepatitis A. In this case, using this test, you can easily monitor the degree and speed of recovery of liver function. Over time, the indicators decrease, and then normalize;
In an adult, this indicator may be the first sign of severe liver pathology. The test becomes positive even before the appearance of pathological symptoms, which makes it possible to identify the disease at an early stage;
With a slight excess of the norm, it is necessary to find out if the result is false positive (violation of the preparation and technique of blood sampling). If necessary, a repeat study is scheduled.

It is important to know that with the development of obstructive jaundice without inflammation, the thymol test remains negative.

Causes of an increased level of thymol test

An increase in values is noted when there is a violation of the ratio of proteins in the blood. At the same time, the level of albumins is reduced, but globulins, on the contrary, increase. Also, paraglobulins are found in the blood of a sick person, which are not in the body of a healthy person.

The reasons for which the thymol test is increased:

Liver pathology: hepatitis, cirrhosis, tumors of various nature;
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, accompanied by dyspeptic disorders (in other words, diarrhea): pancreatitis, enteritis;
Kidney disease, in which albumin is excreted in the urine in large quantities: pyelonephritis, glamerulonephritis;
Systemic rheumatic diseases;
Malignant tumors of various localization;
Improper nutrition, in which there is a lack of nutrients.

Positive test

First of all, it is necessary to undergo a complete examination and, after identifying the cause, proceed to the treatment of the disease. Etiological treatment will depend on the pathology, and is aimed at restoring the functions of the affected organ. In severe cases (in the presence of malignant neoplasms), surgical treatment is indicated.

In addition to drug treatment, diet is of great importance. In this case, experts recommend:

Reduce the consumption of animal and vegetable fats;
Completely abandon fatty, fried, salty and canned foods;
Confectionery, sour berries and fruits, tomatoes, meat and fish broths are excluded from the diet;
Preference is given to slimy soups and cereals on the water, vegetables are best consumed in boiled, stewed or baked form, lean boiled meat and steam cutlets;
Limit salt intake;
Coffee, strong tea and alcohol are excluded.

Thymol test

A biochemical blood test is prescribed if there is a suspicion of the presence of:

Pathology of the digestive tract;
kidney dysfunction;
tumors;
Diseases of the joints and blood vessels;
In young children with long-lasting neonatal jaundice.

Also, a thymol test is performed during and after treatment to assess its effectiveness.

To ensure the reliability of the result, it is necessary to properly prepare for blood donation:

A few days before the test, refuse to eat fatty and fried foods;
On the eve of the study, make a light dinner no later than 20:00;
On the day of blood sampling, you can not eat or drink drinks other than water. The study is carried out on an empty stomach in the morning.

For the test, it is necessary to take venous blood, which is mixed with reagents. This mixture is examined after 30 minutes using a photocolorimeter. The patient can get the result the very next day after donating blood.

The thymol test is a very important diagnostic method with which some dangerous diseases can be identified. This analysis is also known as Maclagan's test and thymolovernal analysis. It cannot be said that this diagnostic method is extremely popular. It is not prescribed as the main analysis, but if the patient is suspected of having certain ailments, the information obtained using the thymol test can be very useful.

Diagnosis using thymol test

The analysis is quite old and has been used in medicine for a very long time. However, to this day, this diagnostic method is relevant and is often used to confirm suspicions of a certain ailment.

Thymol test is rarely prescribed as the main diagnosis. The thing is that the information that this method can give is not enough to make an accurate diagnosis. Nevertheless, in controversial situations, it is the indicators of the thymol test that make it possible to determine the exact causes of the disease. Therefore, this test in our time is widely used in laboratory diagnostics.

Specialists highly appreciate this method when it comes to a diagnosis that concerns the liver. For example, a thymol test is very often prescribed to children with suspected hepatitis A and other ailments associated with the liver. This method allows you to identify the problem at the earliest stage of its development, even when other analyzes do not show any suspicious data.

Ldp cholesterol

Advantages of the method

If a patient goes to a specialist with certain symptoms, in the presence of which liver pathologies can be suspected, the doctor should prescribe a thymol test. Very often it is used as an adjunct to the analysis of bilirubin and enzymes. This will determine the state of the liver, on the health of which many processes in the human body depend.

It is worth noting that the liver is a special organ. Often, it is possible to diagnose problems in this area only at the stage when the disease reaches a high level of development, and the treatment will be long and problematic. Considering all the difficulties in diagnosing liver diseases, the thymol test is especially highly valued. The thing is that this laboratory test allows you to see the problem even where other tests do not show anything suspicious. That is, standard tests will give out the norm, and the thymol test will crawl up. This is a clear sign that the patient has a serious liver pathology.

The thymol test can be very useful in confirming liver disease. But this diagnostic method can be used not only for this organ. For example, the Maclagan test is used to determine the pathologies of the heart, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. For the diagnosis of the state of internal organs, a thymol test is very important. It is often used, since this method has a huge number of advantages.

First of all, it is worth highlighting the speed of the study. There is no need to wait several days to get clear results of the laboratory examination of the material provided by the patient. Moreover, the cost of the analysis is quite low, and special equipment is not needed for its implementation. In order to obtain thymol sample data, it is necessary to use a magnetic stirrer in a fume hood. In any laboratory, even in the most ordinary clinic, there is everything necessary to carry out such a diagnostic procedure and get a transcript of the results.

A huge advantage of the thymol test is that it shows the presence of a problem even where other methods are mistaken. This is very important, since most of the diseases that can be determined using this analysis require timely treatment. If the pathology is determined at an early stage of development, it can be eliminated without any complications.

Sometimes a thymol test is also used to determine the patient's condition during treatment. This allows you to determine the effectiveness of drugs, and if necessary, replace them with more effective analogues.

Given the considerable number of advantages of this method, the thymol test is now widely used, despite the fact that the number of new diagnoses is constantly growing. A worthy replacement for the Maclagan test has not yet been found.

Aspartate aminotransferase increased what does it mean

What is the essence of the analysis?

This method allows you to determine the violation in the ratio of protein in the human body. In some diseases, there is a change in the physicochemical properties of the blood protein. The thymol test allows you to identify such deviations even at an early stage of the development of the problem. This type of analysis is considered highly sensitive, so it always gives a result with 100% accuracy. If the patient has hepatitis, a laboratory examination will definitely show this. But the thymol test also has 1 important advantage, which is that this method allows you to identify the problem even in the pre-icteric period. This makes it possible to start treatment on time and eliminate the pathology without complications.

While deciphering the indicators, the Shank-Hoaland (S-H) designations and McLagan units are used, which are simply written out on the form as the letter M. The norm is usually from 0 to 4 units, but in some laboratories it is considered normal and 5M.

There are no significant differences in performance among representatives of different sexes. However, the thymol test data may be influenced by some additional factors. For example, the fair sex, who take oral contraceptives, often face the fact that the thymol test is increased. This phenomenon is not excluded due to the fact that hormonal contraceptives have a strong effect on the liver and some other internal organs, and also change the ratio of protein in the blood. This will certainly affect the performance of the thymol sample.

As for the Maclagan method for children, the indicators do not change here. They will be similar to those that are considered normal for adult patients. For children, the thymol test sometimes plays a very important role. When many schoolchildren begin to get hepatitis A, this method will be as relevant as possible, as it will allow you to see changes in the body at the very initial stage. That is, long before the appearance of visible signs of the disease, treatment can begin.

What diseases can increase the rate?

There are several reasons that can lead to an increase in Maclagan test scores. Taking hormonal drugs is the most harmless factor. Most often, after the abolition of tablets, the sample returns to normal.

But basically, tests of this type are prescribed for suspected certain diseases. Change the indicators of the thymol test can:

infectious and viral hepatitis;
malignant and benign neoplasms;
severe intoxication, including alcohol;
cirrhosis of the liver and fatty liver.

Such a diagnostic method will be relevant if a specialist needs to determine the degree of alcohol damage to the liver and other organs. A thymol test may be prescribed if intoxication with various poisons, metals and drugs is suspected.

A laboratory study of this type makes it possible to see problems not only in the liver, but it is this organ that is the main one when prescribing the Maclagan test. However, in some cases, it is the thymol test that can confirm severe kidney damage, such as amyloidosis and pyelonephritis. These diseases are characterized by an increased level of protein, so the sample will be increased.

This diagnostic method will also be useful for determining pancreatitis and some other gastrointestinal pathologies, for example, enteritis, which is accompanied by severe diarrhea.

Often, a thymol test is included in a set of tests to determine the nature of the tumor. In addition, this method is used in the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and dermatomyositis. Septic endocarditis, myeloma and malaria also show numbers above the norm.

But you can not use the thymol test data as the main information in making a diagnosis. In conjunction with other methods, the Maclagan method will be useful, but its indicators must be confirmed. In some cases, the sample may show higher than normal results even without any disease. Taking hormonal drugs is the most common reason that changes the analysis parameters. But fatty foods can also affect these numbers. If it is present in the patient's diet in excessive amounts, the level of bad cholesterol in the blood increases, and this causes an imbalance in the protein balance. This situation should be considered as a signal. The patient must definitely undergo additional examinations, and then work on his diet, since excess cholesterol threatens with dangerous atherosclerosis.

Thymol test in children and adults

In order to hand over the material for further analysis, it is necessary to visit the laboratory in the morning. 7-8 hours before donating blood, you can not eat or drink. Before you go to the clinic, you should not even drink tea or coffee. Only a glass of water is allowed. It is advisable to follow all the rules, as the result may depend on this. There should not be serious deviations, but still, for those who seek to obtain the most accurate data, it is worth abstaining from food and water for 8 hours before taking the test.

The same amount of blood is taken from patients of any age. Then the resulting material is mixed with the necessary solutions and left for 30 minutes. After that, the laboratory worker determines the degree of turbidity of the liquid. The data obtained are entered into the analysis form, and then transferred to the patient or his doctor.

In men, women and children, up to 5 Maclagan units are considered the norm. If this indicator is exceeded, then a pathological process occurs in the patient's body.

This method makes it possible to determine the disease even at the earliest stage of its development. This is especially important for newborn babies. Often in the smallest patients, deviations in the liver function are determined in this way. Functional disorders in the work of this organ can cause a delay in the development of the whole organism, so timely treatment in this case plays a very important role.

Thymol test is not assigned to every newborn. The reason for taking material for further protein research may be yellowness of the skin, vomiting and nausea. In addition, dark brown urine will tell you about problems with the liver. In childhood, specialists most often diagnose hepatitis A and E. These diseases can have a negative impact on the further development of the child, so they must be treated with high quality. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the higher the likelihood that everything will pass without complications.

Thymol test plays an important role in the diagnosis of many diseases, but it brings the greatest benefit in liver diseases.

And some secrets...

For a correct assessment of the condition and functioning of the systems of internal organs, doctors recommend a biochemical blood test. Most often, you have to resort to his help if you suspect a pathology of the kidneys, liver, or as a result of a violation of salt metabolism.

One of the variants of the biochemical test is the thymol test. It allows you to determine the ability of the liver to synthesize protein compounds.

Short description

To understand what kind of analysis it is, it is necessary to understand its essence. The main part of the proteins in the blood is formed in the elements of the liver. They have many different tasks:

active participation in the regulation of blood clotting;
maintaining oncotic pressure and ensuring the volume of the main body fluid;
preservation ;
transportation to tissues of certain categories of elements (for example, cholesterol).

Serum has a varied composition. However, only 5 protein fractions are considered important components. These are different globulins.

Under the influence of certain factors, their number may decrease or increase. For example, against the background of a liver disorder or malnutrition, the number is sharply reduced. An increase in globulins occurs with connective tissue pathologies, infectious processes of various etiologies, and some oncological ailments.

Under the thymol test, it is customary to understand a special biochemical study. It allows you to get information about the ability of the liver to carry out a full synthesis of protein fractions.

The analysis helps to assess serious violations in the body even before the onset of the initial signs of any disease.

The principle of laboratory research is reduced to the precipitation of whey proteins. If turbidity of the substance is observed, they speak of a positive test result. The degree of change in the appearance of the material is determined by the photocolorimetric method, and is expressed in the so-called Maclagan units (M units).

The physicochemical characteristics of this assay remain poorly understood. However, scientists argue that complex complexes of phospholipids and globulins, thymol, and cholesterol are possible during the reaction.

How to donate blood

Blood tests are recommended to be done in the morning. Approximately 8 hours before the proposed procedure, it is better to follow a starvation diet. It is allowed to drink only ordinary non-carbonated water. Do not drink large amounts of strong coffee or tea, juices.

Benefits of thymol test

When it comes to the liver, each person understands the importance of this organ. Without his help, it is impossible to imagine the full functioning of the body. Therefore, it is so important to periodically undergo preventive examinations, take blood tests. It is the thymol test that is most often the main indicator of the quality of the functioning of the liver.

Other benefits of this analysis include:

does not require the use of expensive or complex equipment, material costs are negligible;
characterized by simplicity in execution;
allows you to identify many ailments at an early stage, to avoid the occurrence of complications and even death;
can be used as a kind of indicator of ongoing therapy.

Modern medicine offers a wide range of different diagnostic tests. Among all the variety, a special place belongs to the thymol test. It is one of the main tests that detect pathological disorders of the liver.

Regulatory indicators

The initial decoding of the sample is quite simple:

If the analysis column is 0-5 units, it should be considered negative. Such indicators indicate that there are no serious violations in the composition of the serum.
When the result is more than 5 units, the test is considered positive. The norm for men, the fair sex and children is the same.

Interpretation of test results

As a rule, the decoding of the sample does not cause any particular difficulties for qualified physicians. If the protein component of the serum is not accompanied by any serious changes, they speak of a negative result. In this case, the sample indicator should be less than 5 units.

A positive answer often indicates developing hepatitis. It is noteworthy that through this analysis it is possible to diagnose this serious ailment even before the onset of its primary manifestations. A positive test is also possible when bilirubin and aminotransferases remain within the normal range.

The norm of the thymol test in babies is exceeded if they have previously been diagnosed with hepatitis A. Group B pathology is rarely accompanied by an increase in the rate relative to the norms accepted in medicine.

A positive test variant sometimes indicates that a small patient has already had hepatitis before. In this case, the test is considered a kind of beacon of the dynamics of the normalization of the liver..

If obstructive jaundice progresses in an adult, the responses of the thymol test are most often negative. However, if complications occur in the form of parenchymal inflammation, the results may change.

When evaluating a test for a sample, a specialist should not forget that the normative indicators are determined by the following parameters: the age of the patient, his approximate weight, the time of the diagnosis. When deciphering the test, you also need to take into account that some pharmaceuticals can affect its parameters.

Despite the probable errors, the thymol test, even today, is considered one of the most informative studies. You have to resort to his help quite often. The thing is that it allows you to diagnose disorders in the liver at the initial stages and choose the right therapy.

Exceeding normative indicators

An increase in indicators usually indicates a developed dysproteinemia. This condition is characterized by a change in the structure of the serum at the protein level. At the same time, its quality characteristics are affected. These elements are expressed in 5 fractions. Each of them has different chemical and physical properties.

Albumins belong to the category of the lightest fraction. It is characterized by the ability to maintain a stable state of the so-called colloidal blood system. Globulins are distinguished by a slightly larger mass and a tendency to precipitate.

A change in the balance in the colloidal system and the tendency of proteins to inevitable coagulation can be caused by such disorders as:

Reducing the number of albumins.
An increase in the concentration of alpha globulins.
The presence of paraglobulins in the blood (they should be absent in a healthy person).

These pathologies can be detected precisely through the thymol test. The primary organ in which increased protein production usually occurs is the liver.

With pronounced failures in its work, a change in the characteristics of the blood is observed, and the thymol test shows an excess of certain parameters.

On the other hand, a positive analysis response is possible with extensive skin burns. An excess of indicators for the fraction of globulins is also diagnosed in infectious processes, autoimmune disorders and rheumatoid disorders.

Probable diseases

A few years ago, the main reasons for the increase in thymol test were considered solely from the point of view of impaired liver function. Today, the opinions of scientists have changed dramatically. Now experts identify a number of diseases, the development of which accompanies the state of dysproteinemia.

Among them, the following are worth noting:

Kidney disorders characterized by the loss of albumin protein along with excreted urine.
Pathologies of the liver, which manifest themselves in the form of cirrhosis, hepatitis or neoplasms.
Systemic rheumatoid diseases.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
The presence of neoplasms of malignant etiology.

The thymol test is sometimes increased due to malnutrition. As a rule, this problem is diagnosed in women. Abuse of excessively fatty foods can lead to changes in performance. That is why during the diagnostic examination it is important to take into account other options for blood tests.

Common diseases of young patients

If a child has an elevated thymol test, what does this mean? As a rule, a similar result indicates the development of disorders in the liver.

At a young age, the presence of such diseases is highly undesirable, since they may affect the work of the whole organism in the future. In children, they are manifested not only by a decrease in immunity, but also by mental retardation.

Today, in young patients, the following liver diseases are most often detected:

Newborn jaundice. It manifests itself within a few hours after the birth of the baby. This pathology is characterized by yellowing of the skin. Its development is due to the fact that by the time of birth, the child's liver did not have time to fully form. Therefore, it is not yet ready to perform all functions. Among the main causes of the disease, doctors call bilirubin. It is formed against the background of the destruction of old red blood cells. If this pigment begins to accumulate in the body of the crumbs, the skin acquires the appropriate color. With the timely diagnosis of the disease, it is possible to get rid of it without serious consequences after 7-10 days.
Group A and E hepatitis. The disease of these types in young patients causes persistent disturbances in the functioning of the main systems of internal organs.

What are the signs of a problem:

First of all, the child begins to feel sick. Sometimes vomiting does not stop for several hours.
Then there are painful sensations in the liver area.
The stools turn white, and the urine becomes dark in color.

If these symptoms appear, you should immediately seek medical help.

After a comprehensive examination, the doctor will be able to make the correct diagnosis. Only after that treatment is prescribed. Therapy of various forms of hepatitis is carried out exclusively at home.

It is extremely important to isolate a sick child from peers. The main sign of recovery is a good blood test, the absence of pain.

It is considered one of the main research methods that allows you to determine the functional state of various organs and tissues. The results obtained on its basis enable the specialist to confirm the diagnosis, prescribe effective treatment, and also adjust the course of therapy.

The thymol test in children and its norm is a biochemical study that provides information on the ability of the liver to synthesize proteins. However, the level of proteins in the child's body can change not only with the progression of various liver pathologies, but also with other pathological conditions.

Thymol test is a biochemical test that makes it possible to evaluate the synthesizing ability of the child's liver.

It is this organ that is the site of the production of a large number of plasma proteins that perform vital functions in the body of children:

Maintain proper oncotic blood pressure
affect
Maintain the required level of blood pH
Participate in the transfer of certain types of compounds to organs and tissues

Modern medicine identifies 5 types of proteins that may be present in the body of children. It is the thymol test that is able to determine their ratio and thus, at the earliest stages, to identify various species even before the manifestation of its characteristic features.

Such a laboratory study is based on the precipitation of serum proteins and when it becomes cloudy, we can talk about a positive result.

For the study, blood sampling is carried out early in the morning. To obtain accurate and reliable results of the procedure, it is necessary to be 8-10 hours before the study from eating. In the event that the child wants to drink, then you can give him some water, but avoid drinking tea or juices.

Decryption: norm

In most cases, the interpretation of the results obtained does not cause any difficulties for specialists. Usually, in the absence of any changes in the protein composition of the blood serum in the child's body, they speak of a negative result, and the indicator is no more than 5 units.

Most often, positive results of the thymol test are used to detect, however, such a result may accompany other diseases. The thymol test makes it possible to diagnose hepatitis even at the stage when no manifestations are observed and such indicators as bilirubin and aminotransferases do not go beyond the normal range.

The norm of a thymol test in children always shows a positive result in the situation if they develop in their body. In the event that hepatitis B progresses in a child's body, then the indicators usually do not exceed the established norms. The manifestation of a positive thymol test may indicate that the child has already had hepatitis, and based on these results, the dynamics of liver recovery can be predicted.

In any case, to confirm the diagnosis, specialists additionally conduct a serological one.

A characteristic pattern is the fact that in most cases, in the presence of obstructive jaundice in the body of an adult, the results are negative. Only with the development of complications in the form of parenchymal inflammation of the liver, the results become positive.

More information about the biochemical blood test can be found in the video.

When evaluating the obtained indicators, the specialist should not forget that the thymol test rate is determined by the following criteria:

Age category of the patient
Time of the study

When deciphering the results of the study, it is necessary to take into account the fact that hepatotoxic pharmacological agents can influence the results of the analysis.

Despite these deviations and the availability of other more effective research methods, the thymol test is still widely used in medical practice. This is due to the fact that it is such an analysis that makes it possible to detect liver diseases in the early stages of development and begin their effective treatment.

Increased thymol test

When a positive thymol test result is detected in children, they speak of a state of dysproteinemia, which is accompanied by a violation of the qualitative and quantitative composition of serum proteins. Their school biology knows that blood serum proteins are expressed in several fractions, which differ from each other in their physicochemical properties.

Albumins are a lighter fraction that is able to maintain a stable state of the entire colloidal blood system. Components such as globulins and lipoproteins stand out for their large molecular weight and tendency to settle.

Violation of colloidal stability and the tendency of proteins to coagulate develops in the following cases:

Decreased albumin levels
Increased concentration of globulins
The presence in the blood of components such as paraglobulins, which should normally be absent

It is these pathological conditions in the blood serum that can be detected using a thymol test. The main organ in which there is an active production of proteins is the liver. It is for this reason that with various liver disorders, a change in the protein composition is observed and the result of this is a positive result of the thymol test.

With the progression of various pathologies of the kidneys in the body, a large amount of albumides is excreted in the urine of the child, which sharply reduces their content.

In addition, the excretion of a large number of these components is observed when the child has extensive burns.

An elevated globulin fraction is common in conditions such as:

Rheumatoid
Autoimmune
Infectious pathologies

Possible diseases

More recently, the positive results of the conducted were evaluated as one of the signs of the pathological condition of the liver of the child's body.

However, today the views on this situation have changed and this is due to the fact that there are a large number that are accompanied by dysproteinemia.

Significant excess of standard indicators can be registered in the following cases:

The pathological condition of the liver, which can be expressed in the form of various types, cirrhosis of the liver, the appearance of malignant neoplasms on this organ and problems with its functioning.
Kidney disease, which is accompanied by a significant loss of albumin protein along with urine.
A genetic fact, that is, problems with protein metabolism can be inherited.
Diagnosis of pathological conditions such as systemic rheumatoid pathologies.
The progression in the body of children of various diseases of the digestive system, and this is especially pronounced in pathologies such as pancreatitis and enteritis.
The formation of malignant tumors with different foci of localization.

In some cases, an increased thymol test result can be observed when eating a large amount of fatty foods. It is for this reason that when evaluating the results obtained, it is important to pay attention to other biochemical analyzes.

Often elevated levels of thymol test in childhood indicate the progression of various types of liver diseases. For children, such pathologies are extremely undesirable, because they can provoke the development of various types of functional disorders.

The progression of liver diseases in the body can lead both to a decrease in the protective functions of the body and to delays in psychophysical development.

To date, in childhood, the following pathologies of the liver are most often diagnosed:

A few days after birth, the baby's skin can turn yellow and the cause of this phenomenon will be jaundice in newborns. It indicates that the child's liver did not have time to develop by the time he was born. The main culprit for this pathological condition is bilirubin, which is formed as a result of the destruction of old ones. With the accumulation of this pigment in the body, the child's skin is stained yellow. Most often, such a pathological condition develops a few days after the birth of a child and disappears after 7-10 days.
Most often, such types of hepatitis as A and E are diagnosed in the child's body, which cause various disorders.

The main symptoms of such diseases are:

Attacks of nausea and vomiting
The appearance of pain in the liver
Coloring in white
Dark brown urine

Hepatitis A and E is carried out at home with the complete isolation of the child from others. The main indicator of recovery is the complete disappearance of signs of pathology and the norm of laboratory tests.

To date, thymol test is one of those research methods that allows you to identify the pathological condition of the liver in children at the earliest stages of its development.

It is for this reason that it is the main analysis that is prescribed for various types of diseases in childhood. Liver diseases pose a serious danger to the child's body, so they need mandatory treatment and monitoring by a specialist.

Thymol test(timoloveronal test, Maclagan test) is one of the sedimentary or coagulation tests designed to detect changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of blood serum proteins in various diseases.

The thymol test was developed by M. F. Maclagan in 1944. The test is based on the precipitation of serum proteins by adding a saturated solution of thymol in veronal buffer. If the test result is positive, the test serum becomes cloudy. The degree of turbidity is determined by the photocolorimetric method. The result of the thymol test is usually expressed in Maclagan units (unit M).

the physicochemical nature of the thymol sample has not been fully elucidated. It is known that the reaction results in the formation of a complex complex consisting of globulins, phospholipids, cholesterol, and thymol.

In addition to the thymol sample, a considerable number of other sedimentary samples have been proposed at different times. Among them are sublimate test, Takata, Gross tests, cadmium, formol, zinc sulfate, cephalin-cholesterol tests, Weibrodt, Veltmann reactions, etc. With the exception of the now used sublimate test in some places, for clinical practice all of them have only historical significance.

Thymol test norm.

The interpretation or decoding of the thymol test is quite simple:

A negative test means that there are no violations of the protein composition of the blood serum, a positive one means that there are such violations.

What does a positive thymol test indicate?

Massive blood protein molecules are kept in suspension due to the electromagnetic field on their surface

In general, a positive result of the thymol test is characteristic of the state of dysproteinemia - a violation of the qualitative and quantitative composition of blood serum proteins.

As you know, blood serum proteins are represented by several fractions that differ in their physicochemical properties. Albumins are a lighter fraction that ensures the stability of the entire colloidal blood system. On the contrary, globulins and lipoproteins have a large molecular weight and are prone to settling.

A decrease in the amount of albumins, or an increase in the amount of globulins, or the appearance in the blood of the so-called paraglobulins, which should not normally be present - all this inevitably leads to a violation of colloidal stability and to the tendency of proteins to coagulate, i.e. to stick together and settle. It is this phenomenon that the thymol test demonstrates.

The liver plays the leading role in the production of blood proteins. It is natural, therefore, that the unhealthy state of this organ is usually accompanied by a violation of the harmony of the protein composition of the blood, and, accordingly, a positive result of the thymol test.

Kidney disease can be accompanied by the excretion of large amounts of albumin in the urine, which leads to a lack of the latter in the blood. The loss of a large amount of albumin is also characteristic of extensive burns.

An increase in the fraction of γ-globulins is a common occurrence in rheumatoid, autoimmune and infectious diseases.

The balance of protein fractions can also be disturbed by the appearance in the blood of the so-called paraglobulins produced in multiple myeloma, some malignant neoplasms, and hereditary disorders of protein metabolism.

The colloidal balance of blood serum can also change due to the abundant consumption of fatty foods.

In what diseases thymol test is positive?

Liver diseases:
- acute viral hepatitis
- toxic, alcoholic and medicinal hepatitis
- hepatitis in infectious diseases - leptospirosis, brucellosis, mononucleosis, etc.
- autoimmune hepatitis
- liver cirrhosis
- acute yellow fatty atrophy of the liver
- long-term violation of the outflow of bile in obstructive jaundice
- functional disorders of the liver with uncontrolled intake of steroid drugs and contraceptives
- liver tumors, etc.
Kidney disease, accompanied by loss of albumin in the urine:
- glomerulonephritis
- pyelonephritis with nephrotic syndrome
- renal amyloidosis
Systemic rheumatoid diseases:
- systemic lupus erythematosus
- rheumatoid arthritis
- periarteritis nodosa
- dermatomyositis, etc.
Diseases of the digestive system:
- pancreatitis
- enteritis with severe diarrhea
Acute viral infections
Malaria
multiple myeloma
Hereditary disorders of protein metabolism - cryoglobulinemia, macroglobulinemia, etc.
Malignant neoplasms

It is not possible to list all the diseases that can give a positive thymol test within the framework of this article. However, this does not need to be done, since most of these diseases are extremely rare.

Thymol test and hepatitis.

With all the variety of diseases accompanied by a positive thymol test, the latter is most useful for the early diagnosis of hepatitis - inflammatory diseases of the liver tissue of viral, toxic, and other origin.

The high sensitivity of the thymol test makes it possible to suspect hepatitis at that early stage, when it even maintains a normal level. And in any case, long before the onset of jaundice.

After viral hepatitis, the thymol test remains positive for a long time - six months or even a year. In this period, it is also indispensable for monitoring the dynamics of recovery of liver function.

Diagnostic value of thymol test.

The thymol test confirms or denies the fact of a violation of the qualitative or quantitative composition of blood proteins, and also gives some idea of the severity of these changes. But it does not answer the question: "What are these violations?". And even more so, by itself, it does not provide information about the causes of such violations. The idea that existed in previous years about the thymol test as a reaction highly specific for liver pathology turned out to be untenable.

In this regard, the first detected positive thymol test can only serve as a preliminary indicator of changes in the protein composition of the blood. In relation to liver diseases, the result of this test should be interpreted with some caution. We should not forget that liver pathology is the most common, but not the only reason for a positive thymol test. In any case, the indicator of the thymol test should be considered in conjunction with other studies:, etc.

To study violations of the protein composition of the blood in our time, there are more advanced methods: electrophoresis and immunological tests.

Nevertheless, due to its simplicity, the thymol test is still widely used in medical practice.