Catecholamine blood test

A blood sample is needed.

You will likely be told not to eat anything (fast) for 10 hours before the test. You may be allowed to drink water during this time. The accuracy of the test can be affected by certain foods and medicines. Foods that can increase catecholamine levels include: Coffee Tea Bananas Chocolate Cocoa Citrus fruits Vanilla…

When the needle is inserted to draw blood, some people feel slight pain. Others feel a prick or stinging. Afterward, there may be some throbbing or a slight bruise. This soon goes away.

Catecholamines are released into the blood when a person is under physical or emotional stress. The main catecholamines are dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine (which used to be called adrenalin). This test is used to diagnose or rule out certain rare tumors, such as pheochromocytoma or neuroblastoma . It may…

The normal range for epinephrine is 0 to 140 pg/mL (764.3 pmol/L). The normal range for norepinephrine is 70 to 1700 pg/mL (413.8 to 10048.7 pmol/L). The normal range for dopamine is 0 to 30 pg/mL (195.8 pmol/L). Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Some labs use different…

Higher-than-normal levels of blood catecholamines may suggest: Acute anxiety Ganglioblastoma (very rare tumor) Ganglioneuroma (very rare tumor) Neuroblastoma (rare tumor) Pheochromocytoma (rare tumor) Severe stress Additional conditions under which the test may be performed include multiple system atrophy .

There is little risk in having your blood taken. Veins and arteries vary in size from one person to another and from one side of the body to the other. Taking blood from some people may be more difficult than from others. Other risks associated with having blood drawn are slight, but may include: Excessive bleeding…

Guber HA, Oprea M, Russell YX. Evaluation of endocrine function. In: McPherson RA, Pincus MR, eds. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods . 24th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 25. Young WF. Adrenal medulla, catecholamines, and pheochromocytoma. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds.…