Specimen Requirements

Minimum Specimen Requirements

Stability

Days Performed

Sun - Sat

Turnaround Time

2 - 4 days

Methodology

Reference Range

Special Info

Patient Prep: Diet, medication, and nutritional supplements may introduce interfering substances. Patients should be encouraged to discontinue nutritional supplements, vitamins, minerals, and non-essential over-the-counter medications (upon the advice of their physician). Do not use utensils (i.e., syringes, needles, or pipettes) in the collection or transfer of the sample, pour directly into transport tube. Serum that takes longer than two hours to aliquot or is collected or transported in containers other than specified will be rejected. This test is New York DOH approved.

Clinical Info

This test may be useful in the assessment of recent intake. Serum selenium levels can be used in the determination of deficiency or toxicity. Plasma and serum contain 75 percent of the selenium measured in whole blood and reflects recent dietary intake. Selenium deficiency can occur endemically or as a result of sustained TPN or restricted diets and has been associated with cardiomyopathy and may exacerbate hypothyroidism. Selenium toxicity is relatively rare. Excess intake of selenium can result in symptoms consistent with selenosis and include gastrointestinal upset, hair loss, white blotchy nails, and mild nerve damage. Elevated results may be due to contamination from skin or other collection-related issues, including the use of a noncertified metal-free collection/transport tube. If contamination concerns exist due to elevated levels of serum/plasma selenium, confirmation with a second specimen collected in a certified metal-free tube is recommended.