Copper (Cu), Serum / Urine

Specimen requirement Serum Urine
Adult patient:

Special clotted blood tube for trace elements

Minimum blood volume: 5 mL

 Spot urine:

Special acid wash bottle for trace elements

Volume: 10 mL

24 Hr urine:

U6 bottle
Paediatric patient:

Special clotted blood tube for trace elements

Minimum blood volume: 3 mL
Authorisation code required No No
24 Hr available service No No
Method Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)
Reference interval

Serum:

 

Age Male (µmol/L) Female (µmol/L)
< 3 months 1.5 - 7.0 1.5 - 7.0
3 - 6 months 4.0 - 17.0 4.0 - 17.0
> 7 - 12 months 8.0 - 20.5 8.0 - 20.5
> 1 - 5 years 12.5 - 23.5 12.5 - 23.5
> 5 - 9 years 13.0 - 21.5 13.0 - 21.5
> 9 - 13 years 12.5 - 19.0 12.5 - 19.0
> 13 years 10.0 - 22.0 11.0 - 25.0


Pregnancy: 27 - 49 µmol/L

(Source: NHS (UK): Scottish Trace Element & Micronutrient Laboratory)

 

Urine:

 

< 0.1 µmol/mmol Cr

(Source: Central Sydney Lab Service Handbook)

< 1.0 µmol/day

(Source: Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics. 6th Edition. 2015)
Clinical indication

Diagnosis of Wilson’s disease, Menkes’ disease and, occasionally, investigation of copper status in parenteral alimentation

Investigation of suspected copper toxicity
Result interpretation

Low serum levels may occur in Wilson’s disease, but urinary and liver copper are better diagnostic tests.

See also ceruloplasmin.
Measurement of uncertainty See table.
Frequency of measurement Weekly