Norepinephrine Test

By Ashley | February 26, 2010

The norepinephrine test is a test for catacholamines which measures the amount of norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamines produced by the nerve tissues and the inner part of the adrenal gland.

Reasons

The norepinehrine test measures the amount of catecholamine in the body and thus it can diagnose the tumor pheocromocytoma in the adrenal gland. Palpitations, high blood pressure, headaches, excessive sweating, anxiety and tremors are some of the symptoms indicating the presence of pheocromocytoma in the adrenal gland.

Preparation

Avoid foods and fluids that contain caffeine such as coffee, tea cocoa or chocolate. Amines or nitrogen containing foods like walnuts, bananas, avocados, cheese, red wine, fava beans or beer, licorice, aspirin and anything containing vanilla are to be avoided. If it is a blood test, then stop the intake of tobacco for at least 4 to 5 hours before the test and if it is a 24 hour urine collection test, then stop the intake for 24 hours. For the blood test stop intake of food and fluids for 10 to 12 hours prior to the test. Many medicines affect the results of the test; hence inform the doctor about all the prescribed and non-prescribed medicines that you consume. Stop the intake of aspirins, allergy remedies and non- prescription diet pills two weeks before the test. For a 24 hr urine collection test, drink plenty of water during the 24 hours and keep warm since cold can increase the catecholamines in the urine sample.

Procedure

For a blood test, a sample of blood is collected by wrapping an elastic band on the upper arm and collecting blood from the veins of the lower arm through a needle. This blood sample is stored in a vial. The needle inserted site is covered with cotton gauze or cotton ball and a bandage is put in order to stop the bleeding. For the 2 hr urine collection, empty the bladder after waking up and note down the time at the beginning of the 24 hr period. For the next 24 hrs collect the urine in the large container (aprrox 1 gal) provided by the doctor or the lab. Urinate in a clean small container and pour it into the large container. Do not touch the insides of the containers. Keep this container in the refrigerator for 24 hrs. After the final time of urination, note down the time just before the completion of 24hrs. While urinating, do not allow pubic hair, feces, menstrual blood, toilet paper or any other substance to mix with the urine.