Posted by Elroy on August 23, 2006, at 11:13:58
In reply to Re: Pseudo Cushing's » Elroy, posted by invisibleman15010 on August 23, 2006, at 8:38:47
The most accurate test is called a "24-hour Urinary Free Cortisol Test". A blood test or a saliva test takes just a momentary "snapshot" of what your cortisol levels are at that exact moment, whereas the 24-hr UFC gives you a more accurate picture of the TOTAL daily output. As cortisol secretion - and therefore the levels on the blood / saliva - vary during the course of the day. You could therefore have highly elevated cortisol levels in general, but just happen to have a blood draw done at the one time of the day where your secretion levels just happened to be just within range. So the doctor says that you're fine. But erally you might be 2 - 3 times (or higher) the maximnum of the reference range for that hormone.
If your levels are in fact elevated, then the next follow-up step would be to have either a Late Night Serum Cortisol draw (blood test) or Late Night Salivaery Cortisol test (saliva test). Because now you DO want a "snapshot picture" of where your cortisol levels are at... if you have PC version then your cortisol levels will be not only within range, but in the lower levels of the reference range). If your late night levels are elevated above range, then it is likely that you have one of the "regular" versions of Cushing's (test is done between 11 PM and Midnight).
poster:Elroy
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060818/msgs/679321.html