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Published on: December 18, 2013
Determination of salivary cortisol reference interval in a selected Malaysian population
J E Choo1, I N Samsudin, M J Mat Salleh
1Universiti Putra Malaysia, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Pathology, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. intanlyna@upm.edu.my.
Introduction:
Salivary cortisol is used as an indicator of stress level and a recommended screening test for Cushing syndrome. The normal reference interval for salivary cortisol is dependent on the analytical methodology and the population studied and hence, establishment of a local population-based reference interval is recommended.
Materials And Methods:
A total of 129 healthy blood donors and staffs of Penang General Hospital were recruited from June 2018-May 2019. Paired (morning and late-night) saliva samples were collected from individuals aged between 18 and 60 years old with no history of chronic medical illness. Salivary cortisol was assayed using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay technique. Non-parametric statistics were used for calculation of reference interval and 90% confidence intervals (90% CIs).
Results:
The reference interval for morning and latenight salivary cortisol was 2.09 - 22.63 nmol/L and <12.00 nmol/L, respectively.
Conclusion:
The locally-derived adult reference intervals for morning and late-night salivary cortisol concentration was determined and varied with previous studies emphasising the need in establishing individual laboratory reference interval.
