Caeruloplasmin
At a Glance
Why Get Tested?
To measure the amount of caeruloplasmin in the blood; to help diagnose Wilson’s disease; sometimes to help identify conditions associated with copper deficiencies
When to Get Tested?
When you have jaundice, tiredness, tummy pain, behavioural changes, tremors, or other symptoms that your doctor thinks may be due to Wilson’s disease or, rarely, to copper deficiency. At intervals when monitoring a copper related disease or its treatment.
Sample Required?
A blood sample taken from a vein in your arm
Test Preparation Needed?
No test preparation is needed
The Test Sample
What is being tested?
This test measures the amount of caeruloplasmin in the blood. Caeruloplasmin is a copper-containing enzyme that plays a role in the body’s iron metabolism. Copper is an essential mineral that is absorbed into the body through diet. It is absorbed in the intestines and then carried to the liver, where it is stored or used to make a variety of enzymes. The liver binds copper to apocaeruloplasmin to produce caeruloplasmin and then releases it into the bloodstream. About 95% of the copper in the blood is bound to caeruloplasmin. Caeruloplasmin can be used with one or more copper tests to help diagnose Wilson’s disease and evaluate copper metabolism.
How is the sample collected for testing?
A blood sample is obtained by inserting a needle into a vein in the arm.
NOTE: If undergoing medical tests makes you or someone you care for anxious, embarrassed, or even difficult to manage, you might consider reading one or more of the following articles: Coping with Test Pain, Discomfort, and Anxiety, Tips on Blood Testing, Tips to Help Children through Their Medical Tests, and Tips to Help the Elderly through Their Medical Tests.
Another article, Follow That Sample, provides a glimpse at the collection and processing of a blood sample and throat culture.
Is any test preparation needed to ensure the quality of the sample?
No test preparation is needed.
The Test
How is it used?
Caeruloplasmin is primarily measured with blood and/or urine copper tests to help diagnose Wilson’s disease, a rare inherited disease associated with low levels of caeruloplasmin and excess storage of copper in the liver, brain, and other organs. Rarely, it may be used to help diagnose or distinguish between other disease which have copper deficiencies.
When is it requested?
It is used along with copper measurements when someone has signs and symptoms that the doctor suspects may be due to Wilson’s disease such as:
- anaemia
- nausea, tummy pain
- jaundice
- tiredness
- behavioural changes
- tremors
- difficulty walking and/or swallowing
- dystonia
Rarely, caeruloplasmin may also be requested with copper tests when your doctor suspects that you have a copper deficiency and periodically if monitoring is recommended.
What does the test result mean?
Low caeruloplasmin levels alone cannot diagnose a copper related disease and need to be done with measurements of copper levels.
Test results may include:
- If caeruloplasmin and blood copper concentrations are decreased, urine copper levels are increased, then the patient may have Wilson’s disease.
- About 5% of the patients with Wilson’s disease who have neurological symptoms will have normal caeruloplasmin levels as will up to 40% of those with liver disease, especially if they have recently become ill.
- If caeruloplasmin and urine and/or blood copper concentrations are low, then the patient may have a copper deficiency.
- Anything that interferes with the supply of copper or with the body’s ability to metabolise copper has the potential to affect blood caeruloplasmin and copper concentrations.
Is there anything else I should know?
Caeruloplasmin may be increased in a variety of circumstances which need to be considered when using it to diagnose or monitor Wilson’s disease or copper deficiency. These circumstances may include:
- Caeruloplasmin increases due to it being elevated when someone has inflammation, severe infection, tissue damage, and some cancers.
- Increases seen during pregnancy and with the use of oestrogen, oral contraceptives, and medications such as carbamazepine, phenobarbital, and valproic acid.
Caeruloplasmin is not a routine test. Unless your doctor suspects that you have Wilson’s disease or a problem with your copper metabolism, it is unlikely that you will ever have this test performed.
Common Questions
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Article Sources
NOTE: This article is based on research that utilizes the sources cited here as well as the collective experience of the Lab Tests Online Editorial Review Board. This article is periodically reviewed by the Editorial Board and may be updated as a result of the review. Any new sources cited will be added to the list and distinguished from the original sources used.
