Cortisol, Saliva




Test Mnemonic

SCORT

CPT Codes

  • 82533 - QTY (1)

Includes

  • Cortisol, Saliva

Performing Laboratory

ARUP


Specimen Requirements

Volume Type Container Collect Temperature Transport Temperature Special Instructions
Entire collectionSalivaSwab RefrigeratedTransfer saturated swab to plain (non-citric acid) cotton SalivetteĀ® collection device (ARUP Supply #52056). Swab must be completely saturated to ensure sufficient volume for testing. Record collection time on container and requisition. Patient Preparation: Do not collect specimen within 60 minutes after eating a meal, within 12 hours after consuming alcohol, immediately after brushing teeth or after any activity that may cause gums to bleed. Rinse mouth thoroughly with water 10 minutes before collecting specimen. Recommended collection time is between 11:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

Stability

Environmental Condition Description
Refrigerated3 weeks
Ambient1 week
Frozen6 months

Days Performed

Mon - Sat

Turnaround Time

2 - 5 days

Methodology

Name Description
Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) 

Reference Range

Cortisol, Saliva
Sex Age From Age To Type Range Range Unit
       7 a.m. to 9 a.m.: 0.1-0.75 
       3 p.m. to 5 p.m.: <0.401 
       11 p.m. to midnight: <0.1 

Special Info

Patient Preparation: Do not collect specimen within 60 minutes after eating a meal, within 12 hours after consuming alcohol, immediately after brushing teeth or after any activity that may cause gums to bleed. Rinse mouth thoroughly with water 10 minutes before collecting specimen. Recommended collection time is between 11:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. Specimens not collected using the SalivetteĀ® collection device, and specimens visibly contaminated with blood, cellular debris, food particles, or mucus are not acceptable. Specimens with pH values > 9.0 or < 3.5 must be recollected. Sodium azide preservative is unacceptable. This test is New York DOH approved.

Clinical Info

This test is useful to rule out Cushing syndrome and to screen for thymic and bronchial carcinoid tumors.

Clinical Limitation

Bovine hormones normally present in dairy products can cross-react with anti-cortisol antibodies and cause false results. Acidic or high sugar foods can compromise assay performance by lowering sample pH and influencing bacterial growth.