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Effects of circadian variation, lifestyle and environment on hematological parameters: A narrative review
Joffrey Feriel1, Draga Tchipeva1, François Depasse1
1Diagnostica Stago, Asnieres Sur Seine, France.
Insights
The complete blood count (CBC) is a common lab test. Lifestyle and environmental factors can significantly alter CBC results, impacting diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Pathology
- Hematology
- Laboratory Medicine
Background:
- The complete blood count (CBC) is a cornerstone diagnostic tool in medicine.
- Laboratory errors, particularly preanalytical and analytical, significantly impact CBC accuracy.
- External factors like circadian rhythms and lifestyle choices also influence CBC results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively review the literature on factors affecting CBC results.
- To identify clinically significant changes in CBC parameters due to various conditions.
- To guide healthcare professionals in interpreting CBC results accurately.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search on factors influencing CBC.
- Analysis of studies investigating circadian variation, lifestyle, and environmental impacts.
- Compilation of data on affected cell types, intensity, and duration of changes.
Main Results:
- Circadian variation, sleep-wake cycle changes, exercise, diet, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, altitude, temperature, and air pollution all affect CBC parameters.
- Specific cell types and the magnitude/duration of changes are detailed for each factor.
- Understanding these influences is crucial for accurate interpretation.
Conclusions:
- Non-pathological factors can induce clinically significant CBC variations.
- Healthcare professionals must consider these influences before diagnosing hematological disorders.
- This review provides a guide to avoid misinterpretation of CBC results.
Abstract:
The complete blood count (CBC) is the most widely prescribed laboratory test. It plays a key role in screening, diagnosing, and monitoring a variety of medical disorders. Preanalytical and analytical variables are responsible for more than 50% of laboratory errors that may lead to spurious CBC results. The effects of blood sampling, transport, storage, and analytical errors on hematological parameters have been well described. Circadian variation and changes in lifestyle and environment can also affect blood cells. It has been extensively studied in the past, but highly variable methodology and the presence of confounding factors have provided scattered and inconsistent results. We have investigated the literature to define the impact of circadian variation, modification of the sleep-wake cycle, acute and chronic exercise, eating habits, alcohol, tobacco, drugs of abuse, high-altitude, heat/cold exposure, and air pollution on CBC results. The affected cell type along with the intensity and duration of changes are detailed for each condition. We aim at providing a comprehensive overview of which situations may induce clinically significant changes and have to be taken into account by healthcare professionals before considering a hematological parameter as pathological and requesting complementary tests.
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