Cortisol Free 24-hour urine

Sample type:

24-hour urine sample.

Uses:

A cortisol urine test enables the doctor to measure the amount of cortisol present in a person’s urine. Cortisol urine tests can help with the diagnosis of various medical conditions such as Cushing’s syndrome, Addison disease, conditions that affect the pituitary gland, and conditions that affect the adrenal glands.

Precautions:

Avoid strenuous physical activity the day before the test.

Be sure to drink enough fluids during the 24-hour urine test.

Be sure to tell your doctor about all the non-prescription and prescription medicines you take.

Interfering factors:

Some factors such as physical or emotional stress, Pregnancy increase cortisol in urine.

Preanalytical errors:

Using a contaminated cup for collecting urine.

Practice hard physical exercise.

Corrective action:

Use a sterile cup to avoid contamination.

Do not Practice hard physical exercise.

Post analytical errors

Wrong data entry

Put the wrong patient’s name

Corrective action:

Insert the right data

Reference range:

Adult: Less than 100 micrograms (mcg) or less than 276 nanomoles (nmol)

Teen : 5–55 mcg or 14–152 nmol

Child:2–27 mcg or 5–75 nmol