3x Free Cortisol (Stress hormone) adrenal glands

Cortisol ( CORTSP im Speichel) (Salivette)

Cortisol is a hormone from the adrenal glands. It is needed to cope with stressful situations. But the stress hormone coursing through our veins for too long results in forgetfulness and depression.

Thefree cortisol determines the activity of the hormone. The PhD student examined to what extent the concentration offree cortisol in the blood corresponds to that in thesaliva. There is afairly unambiguous connection between the two.

1. It is recommended that the saliva sample be taken in the morning before brushing your teeth. If your practitioner's saliva collection is to be done during the day, it will need to be done at least 30 minutes after the ingestion of solid or liquid food.
2. Take hold of the Salivette at the edge of the hanging tube (c) and remove the stopper (a).
   You can facilitate the removal of the stopper (a) if you press it slightly sideways.
   
3. Now take the cotton wool roll (b) out of the Salivette.
4. Then chew the roll of cotton wool lightly for 1 minute. Keep the roll of cotton wool in your mouth at least until you feel that you can no longer keep the collected saliva in your mouth.
5. Return the cotton wool roll (b) to the tube (c) and close the Salivette with the stopper (a).
6. The tubes are pre-coded with a barcode sticker, this contains all the information for your study. Write on the lab card the date and time of collection.
7. The closed Salivette can now be returned in the envelope. If it is not possible to return the Salivette immediately, or if it is necessary to collect several saliva samples, you should store the Salivette with the collected saliva in the refrigerator.
   
   

By measuring the cortisol level at 3 fixed times in the course of 24 hours, a picture is obtained of the person's ability to handle the stress to which he/she is exposed. For this you need to order several tests and clearly note the time of administration.

collection time: reference values: unit:
7 h - 9 h 1.0 - 7.5 µg/l
15 h - 17 h < 4.0 µg/l
23 h - 24 h < 1.0 µg/l

Important note:

The product should not be used in children under 3 years of age or in patients at risk of choking.

Cortisol is involved in regulating numerous processes related to the body's alertness. Too much cortisol leads to high blood pressure and increased blood sugar levels, among other things. Low cortisol can lead to low blood pressure and severe weakness.

The concentration of cortisol normally varies throughout the day from high in the morning to low in the late afternoon. Make a note for yourself of the time you have your blood drawn; the results will give you a reference value for the morning and a value for the afternoon.

Cortisol is a comprehensive hormone that has a day and night rhythm. In the morning the concentration is higher than in the afternoon. It is popularly said to be sober for a cortisol determination. This is not so, food does not influence the cortisol concentration, however the time of day is of great importance in this. If the examination is repeated more often, the curve becomes well visible.

In pregnancy, when using the pill and with estrogen therapy, the Cortisol concentration in saliva is increased.

Increased at

• Cushing's syndrome,
• hyper- and hypocortisolism,
• hyperglycemia,
• hypertension,
• trunkobesity,
• adrenogenital syndrome,
• virilism,
• hirsutism and menstrual cycle disorders in women,
• lymphopenia,
• incidentaloom

also increased at increased:

• pregnancy,
• estrogen therapy,
• use of oral contraceptives,
• alcoholism (normalisation after 4 weeks ),
• anorexia nervosa.

Because the value varies throughout the day, please indicate the time of collection on the lab form.

lab method used: LCMS