Which laboratory phenomenon can affect uric acid testing results significantly?

Uric acid testing can be significantly affected by specimen hemolysis. Hemolysis occurs when red blood cells rupture, releasing intracellular contents, which can interfere with the measurement of various analytes. In the case of uric acid, hemolysis can lead to falsely elevated results due to the release of purines and other metabolites from the broken red blood cells. This alteration in the sample composition affects the accuracy of the uric acid levels detected during analysis.

While refrigeration of the sample, delayed serum separation, and prolonged exposure to light can impact other components of laboratory tests, they do not have as profound an effect on uric acid measurements compared to hemolysis. Refrigeration is generally recommended to preserve specimens, and even though delayed serum separation could potentially lead to changes in some analytes over time, it is hemolysis that poses the most immediate and significant risk of contamination and inaccurate results for uric acid testing.