SEX HORMONE- BINDING GLOBULIN
(SHBG)

Sample type

Serum ( gel tube preffered)

Uses

• Diagnosis and follow-up of women with symptoms or signs of androgen excess (e.g.,polycystic ovarian syndrome and idiopathic hirsutism).

• As an adjunct in the diagnosis and follow-up of anorexia nervosa.

• As an adjunct in the diagnosis of disorders of puberty.

• As an adjunct in monitoring sex steroid and antiandrogen therapy.

Precautions

Patients should be cautioned to stop biotin consumption at least 72 hours prior to the collection of a sample.

Interfering factors

• SHBG can be increased with age, hyperestrogen states, marked weight loss and chronic exercise, HIV infection, cirrhosis.

• Decreased levels may also be due to obesity and protein losing nephropathies.

• taking biotin supplements

Pre-analytical errors

1-The patient is taking biotin supplements.

2-Citrate plasma specimen,EDTA plasma specimen, improper labeling.

The corrective actions

1-Do not collect the sample and ask the patient to stop taking biotin supplements for 72 hours.

2-The sample should be rejected and another sample requested.

Post-analytical errors

1-Writing a wrong result or wrong name in the report

2-report were sent to incorrect patient

3-If the patient’s gender is written wrong in the report, the reference range was written incorrectly.

The corrective actions

1- If the report is not delivered to the patient and this error is discovered, the correct result or the correct name must be written, but if the report is delivered to the patient, you must communicate with the patient, apologise to him, and tell him that an error has occurred and replace it with the correct report.

2-Communicate with patient ,apologizing for the error, and providing him with the correct report.

3-If the report is not delivered to the patient and this error is discovered, fix it, but if the report is delivered to the patient, apologise to him, tell him that an error has occurred, and replace it with the correct report. And next time, Be careful when you write down the gender and reference range.

Reference range

• Male:

− 20-49 years: 16.5−55.9 nmol/L

− >49 years: 19.3−76.4 nmol/L

• Female:

− 20-49 years: 24.6−122.0 nmol/L

− > 49 years: 17.3−125.0 nmol/L