Copper
Also known as: Cu, 24-hour urine copper; Total copper; Non-caeruloplasmin-bound copper; Free copper; Hepatic copper
Formal name: Copper (24-hour urine, total and free blood, and hepatic)
Related tests: Caeruloplasmin
At a Glance
Why Get Tested?
To measure the amount of copper in the blood, urine, or liver; to help diagnose and monitor Wilson’s disease; sometimes to identify copper deficiencies and excesses
When to Get Tested?
When you have jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain, behavioural changes, tremors, or other symptoms that your doctor thinks may be due to Wilson’s disease or, rarely, to copper deficiency or excess; at intervals when you are being treated for a copper-related condition
Sample Required?
A blood sample taken from a vein in your arm and/or a 24-hour urine sample; sometimes a liver biopsy sample
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