What Is Salivary Cortisol?
8.39-8.99nmol / L.
- Measuring cortisol levels in saliva at night has excellent specificity and sensitivity for screening Cushing's syndrome. Saliva contains more than 99% of water, of which organic matter accounts for about 0.5% and inorganic matter accounts for about 0.2%. In addition, there are a small number of red blood cells, epithelial cells and so on. There are many factors that affect saliva secretion, such as internal and external factors. Therefore, the saliva composition is not constant enough, and the collection time is preferably limited to 2-4h in the afternoon.
- Name
- Salivary cortisol
- category
- Biochemical tests
Normal salivary cortisol
- 8.39-8.99nmol / L.
Clinical significance of salivary cortisol
- Reduced: seen in adrenal cortex tuberculosis and atrophy, hypohypophysis, hypothyroidism, chronic wasting disease, amyloidosis, leukemia, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, CBG (corticoid-binding globulin) deficiency . Elevation: seen in adrenal hyperplasia, tumors (such as adrenal tumor, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer, testicular cancer, breast cancer), simple obesity, surgery, trauma, myocardial infarction, oat cell lung cancer, hyperhypophysis .
Salivary cortisol considerations
- When collecting saliva, gargle with warm water and collect 5-10min after rinsing. When collecting, you can directly use the catheter to suck from the openings of each gland, or collect the naturally flowing saliva in a clean test tube. If it is not easy to shed saliva naturally, you can use a small amount of sterile absorbent cotton and put it under your tongue for a few minutes, then take out the squeeze cotton ball to get saliva.
Salivary cortisol- related diseases
- Cortisolism in pregnancy, Cushing syndrome
Salivary cortisol- related symptoms
- Bloating, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, abnormal body shape, diarrhea, abnormal appetite, dizziness, abnormal hair, itching, abnormal pigmentation