⬆️ ⬇️

Home laboratory for self-control, or what to buy in a geek first aid kit

In a recent publication, we touched on several important general topics, such as general - self-control and self-diagnosis at home, and private - urine analysis at home.



It seems to us that the topic makes sense to continue: today we will tell you more about what exists in general (spoiler: a lot of things) for self-control at home, how to learn about a heart attack with the help of a test strip, which you can (or should) buy from a gadget in your first-aid kit .





')

We will try briefly, as usual:



Let's start with a simple - test strips



It may not surprise anyone, but a huge amount of them to detect a variety of diseases, including cardiovascular, oncological, ophthalmic, STDs, etc.



All such strips have the appropriate medical certificates, have clinical accuracy and are often used by emergency doctors for urgent understanding of what is happening to the patient at the time of the call. So the question of trust as such should not be raised.



Probably, it does not make sense to collect all the “collection” at home - at a price it will be comparable to a full survey. The cost of individual markers reaches several thousand rubles for 1-2 pieces. But to take the most "common" does not hurt.



Among them, for example, the same strips for the general analysis of urine. You can read our recent review on this topic .


What is important to note in our opinion. Test strips are a diagnostic tool, but at home they should not become a guide to action. They can serve for the early detection of any problems, but for further diagnosis and conclusions you still need to see a doctor!



Let's try to enumerate for a start what is actually possible to reveal at home.



Analysis of urine



There are test strips for urine analysis. They can be both for general analysis and for identifying individual parameters: acidity, protein, glucose, etc. Prostor is huge. It seems to us that it makes sense to immediately consider a general analysis.



Infections



Here we mean tests that can be done at home to identify various infections. There are, for example, tests for determining Helicobacter pylori, tests for identifying various STDs from syphilis to HIV, tests for tuberculosis at home, hepatitis and other infectious diseases.



Oncology tests







There are home tests that allow you to quickly identify occult blood in the feces or more particular ones, for example, to detect alpha-fetoprotein in the blood, which may be an indirect indication of ovarian tumor; prostate-specific antigen (prostate cancer); cancer and embryonic antigen (lung tumors, gastrointestinal tract).



The cardiovascular system



Such tests in particular can help determine a heart attack within 2-4 hours after the first symptoms. There are tests for the determination of cardiac troponin, the determination of creatine kinase-MV, myoglobin.



Ophthalmic



Ophthalmologic test strips are divided into two types, as it were: one of them is not diagnostic: it allows you to simply understand how well the lenses are installed. There are also test strips for detecting corneal epithelium injuries (eg, Rose Bengal) or for the diagnosis of dry eye syndrome.



Separately, say a few words that there are test strips for the definition of drugs and alcohol.



Research materials



As samples for analysis are most often used:





What of the test strips can (need) be in the home first aid kit



Test strips for urinalysis . Not critical, which ones, it is possible, and those about which we wrote .



Test for tuberculosis . The material for the study - the blood from the finger. Allows at the initial stage for suspicious symptoms to detect antibodies.



Streptococcus test . The material for the study is a throat swab. Streptococcus does not provoke the best diseases, such as sore throat, scarlet fever, tonsillopharyngitis, which require urgent therapy! In the case of a positive result - to the doctor, a negative result will help to avoid unnecessary antibiotics. Such a test is done a little intricate: you need to take a smear, then place the stick in a container with a reagent, and then a control test strip in the same container.



Test for influenza virus A and B. Although they say that viruses change year by year, which prevents preventive measures in particular, you can still have something like that at home. As a sample of the material - a swab from the nose.



Helicobacter pylori . The opposite bacterium associated with gastritis and ulcers. Taking into account how we sometimes eat, we need such a test at home. The material for the study - the blood from the finger.







Hidden blood . Detection of a positive result may indicate tumors, but, of course, we must remember that the diagonal test strip does not diagnose, but only reveals blood. It is possible that everything is bad, but not so much, say, there is a crack, hemorrhoids, etc. The material for the intake is feces.



Cardio Strips . The troponin test will help to identify anxious disease, as well as to separate similar symptoms that may occur with intercostal neuralgia. The material is blood from a finger.







Test strips for Hepatitis . Such strips, probably, should not be kept at home all the time, but with certain symptoms, you can use them. The indications may include yellowness of the skin, dark urine, pain in the joints, high fever.



Test strips for genital infections . There is also - as needed. But this is a delicate way to make an initial conclusion.



Blood for sugar



Blood glucose meter should be in every home! This is not a very impressive waste: together with the test strips will cost around three thousand. Here we will not advise anyone anything, but from the latter, what you can pay attention to.



Recently released Bluetooth glucometer Contour Plus .







It is interesting not so much by synchronization, as by some possibilities. Firstly, there is our favorite “traffic light”. That is, you can not really look at the numbers: I saw that the little green was on fire - it means normal.



Secondly, the strips for this meter have a “second chance” function. Sometimes useful: within a minute you can add blood to the same strip. You can measure blood on an empty stomach and a couple of hours after eating. For self-control is enough two or three days.



But this is a blood glucose meter after all. For self-control it is more logical to use CGM-systems. Since 2019, Ebot's Freestyle Libre has been officially shipped to Russia. What it is: it is a sensor and a scanner.







The sensor is attached to the shoulder for two weeks, the scanner reads the data.







Writes such a sensor continuously ! The scanner displays the results at a specific moment, but the whole history is saved and it can be viewed for a period: it’s only important that the data not disappear, at least once every 8 hours to apply the scanner (memory is limited). The cost of the kit will be cheaper than dragging from the serovozov - 4490 + 4490. In two weeks everything will be perfectly clear and clearly.



A couple of examples from the PC application








Libre analyzes the glucose level in the intercellular fluid, that is, with a slight delay, but for self-control this is not critical. The main problem with Abbot is the purchase. To buy Libra, you must first personally come to an authorized service center, register there. Sell ​​mail RF. In general - fast delivery MSC / MO. It is unlikely that it will be possible to ask friends for it, because more than 3 in one hand during a period is not sold.



By the way , Abbot has one (in any case, we have not met others in the RF) a unique advantage - they make test strips for determining blood ketones for blood glucose meters. Ketones can be found in the urine, there are special strips, for example, Ketoglyuk , but the problem is that if the ketones begin to come out with urine, it means that there is already a decent amount in their blood! Catch them in the blood at an early stage suggests Abbot.







Their blood glucose meter is called Freestyle Optium . For diabetics - relevant. Sold for 10 pieces / pack, cost an average of 1,500 rubles.



What gadgets to buy for self-control



This is our favorite subject, of course, so we ask you to be patient. First, I would like to avoid the impression that gadgets are an alternative to strips or vice versa.



Secondly, we will make a reservation that in the category of “medgadzhetov” there are diagnostic devices, the data from which only an expert can read - that is, they are not very suitable for self-control. For example, an ultrasound machine (hello, from 2014).



Also, we will not talk about the numerous heart rate monitors , which have long been “migrated” to the category of sports devices, although it is possible and necessary to monitor the heart rate with their help.



ECG



Portable devices great variety.



You can take a look at our selection on this topic .


On Habré is well known device ECG-dongle . This gadget does not have a registration certificate, but its accuracy corresponds to the accuracy of clinical ECG devices.







The device exists in two forms:





The difference in the number of electrodes. The latest version - full - allows you to make a full-fledged ECG at home. In the "truncated" version, it is possible to identify cardiac arrhythmias and conduction disturbances.



For decryption, it is proposed to use a paid service, but the basic data in automatic mode can also be obtained independently. It will be something like express diagnostics in several ways.







You can read our review of the small version of the ECG flash drive .


The registration certificate has a medical device Cardiru . Here you also get an ECG with leg-arm leads with a brief decoding: a brief conclusion with the main indicators comes to the device user in the form of an SMS message one to two minutes after the registration of the study .



Ritmer



Device for monitoring cardiac activity in the range of up to 5 minutes. The gadget either scheduling or forcing records the pulse at rest to provide the analyst with six parameters.







It is attached to the chest, and in its essence is something of an episodic heart rate monitor, which reveals the level of stress, the reserve of strength, the speed of recovery. Inside the application is its own conventional traffic light scale.







Review on Habré : Pulsometer for Putin, or what is a Ritmer.


Tonometers



A tonometer is probably in every home, and rightly so. To control the readings in the dynamics, the internal memory of the device may not be enough, so some are looking at the “smart tonometers”.



Medisana



Medisana tonometers are certified medical devices. They have smart tonometers, both on the shoulder and on the wrist. When choosing a tonometer, you must take into account the age of the user. Tonometers on the wrist are usually not recommended for older people.



Overview of smart tonometer Medisana .


The application they have, of course, a little intricate and not very intuitive.



From simple and inexpensive tonometers - you can consider the option of a tonometer on the shoulder Medisana MTS . For convenience, it is equipped with a color scale.



Qardio Arm is another smart blood pressure monitor . Among the functions of the application, including sending data to your doctor. Available synchronization with Apple Watch.







In the final, let us say a few words about the professional Omron tonometer, calculated more for clinics. There are several measurement modes, the possibility of manual settings, the function of hiding data from the patient. Such a blood pressure monitor has passed clinical trials. It costs over 50 thousand rubles .







According to the results :





Weight control



Being overweight or underweight may equally be a prerequisite for something unhealthy. For example, a dramatic weight loss can identify type 1 diabetes. Endocrine diseases and heart diseases can be companions of obesity, therefore weight control is correct.



Selection : The best smart scales according to Wareable.


Recently, so-called “ analyzer scales ” have gained popularity, based on the principle of bio-impedance, which, in addition to weight, allows you to determine the range of values ​​and other parameters, such as fat, muscle mass, etc. Most often, these data coincide with clinical bio-impedance , so you can do this at home.



Comparison of scales at home with the apparatus MEDASS.






Of course, with one hundred percent accuracy, no household appliances do not work. Weights, for example, are still based on the calculated parameters anyway, the weight (which they determine) and the height that you set. Bioimpedance only slightly clarifies these data for the full picture. But detailed studies are not always needed, they are not always made, they are not always worth the available money. One of these tests is an x-ray of the body.



Comparison of DEXA and smart scales.


In general, do you need analyzer scales, or can you do the usual in your individual case — that is another question, but the scales fall into the “home first-aid kit”.



Infrared Thermometers



In this category of devices are also found smart, which are synchronized with a smartphone, and normal. Modern digital thermometers somehow have built-in memory for a certain number of measurements, so do you need to store the data in your smartphone additionally?



The main claim that is made to such devices, they say, they are not very accurate, and the data do not coincide with mercury thermometers. A moot point, we answered it once:



A few words in defense of infrared thermometers.


When used correctly, there are no problems with measurements and their accuracy. The beauty of such thermometers is in measuring speed and its comfortable holding, which can be done in an inconspicuous way. Therefore, infrared thermometers cause genuine interest among young parents.



From the most high-quality models and comfortable, we would have identified the Medisana FTN .



From the most simple and affordable - model B.Well .







The review devoted to these thermometers is on Habré.


Sleep analysis



This is the last thing we would like to say in this article. In our opinion, the fact is that in a dream a person controls himself poorly, but there are certain risks in a dream. For example, one of the most common “pitfalls” is sleep apnea syndrome.



For all the work from relatively accurate, reliable devices that would give objective information, one came across (or rather two - there was still Beddit, more precisely three - we waited for Nokia Sleep, but somehow they did nothing now) - RestOn Sleepace .







In addition to the usual phases of deep / fast sleep, there is tracking of breathing and pulse , which distinguishes it in its category of gadgets for sleep analysis. At the same time, the device itself does not interfere with the sleeper, it does not need to be attached to the arm - it is a flexible tape with electrodes integrated into it, which fits under the sheet.



Detailed review of the tracker RestOn on Habré.


He doesn’t have a lot of analogs at the moment, the information is quite correct and allows one to assess the state of health during sleep by two important metrics: pulse rate and respiration.



Small total



Self-control is a whole culture, which is not very, frankly, common in our region. A person usually goes to a doctor when he is sick, and rarely examines his health at the “before” stage.



How important is it? - It seems to us that very. Another thing is that the cost of individual devices is quite high, and really not everyone can afford it, but, for example, the cost of heart rate monitors is now from 1,000 rubles, you can buy an ECG flash drive for 3500, test strips - from 100 rubles, within 2-3-4 thousand tonometer, etc.



In other words, it is possible to equip the "home laboratory" within 10 thousand rubles. Of course, most often such devices do not give any quantitative result: the numbers that can be seen are always what is called “within”.



Roughly speaking, if you have a sugar level of 3.9 or 5.5 in the morning, then this is equally normal for you and should not cause concern. Test strips are similar. They operate on the principle of "detected-not detected", and every serious suspicion will have to be rechecked in a medical office.



The only invaluable benefit is the possibility of strongly suspecting something beforehand, even before the real painful symptoms that will allow you to live better and longer!



That's all for now

take care of yourself!

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/448414/



All Articles