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Cortisol determination and the dexamethasone suppression test. A review.
Archives of General Psychiatry
|May 1, 1983
Summary
Plasma cortisol test reliability varies, potentially impacting the dexamethasone suppression test (DST). Ensure laboratory accuracy for critical cortisol level determinations before using the DST in clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Clinical Chemistry
- Diagnostic Assays
Background:
- The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) is a crucial diagnostic tool.
- Accurate plasma cortisol level determination is essential for DST efficacy.
- Variability in cortisol assays may affect clinical interpretation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of plasma cortisol measurement unreliability on the dexamethasone suppression test (DST).
- To compare different methods for plasma cortisol level determination.
- To provide guidance on laboratory assessment for DST use.
Main Methods:
- Review of published data on plasma cortisol determination reliability.
- Comparison of radioimmunoassay (RIA) methods with competitive protein binding assay (CPBA).
Main Results:
- Significant discrepancies exist between various plasma cortisol determination methods.
- Radioimmunoassay (RIA) kits, commonly used, may yield results incomparable to CPBA.
- CPBA has been used in efforts to standardize the DST for psychiatric applications.
Conclusions:
- Unreliable plasma cortisol measurements can interfere with clinical DST use.
- Laboratories must validate cortisol assay accuracy within the critical DST range.
- Physicians should assess laboratory validity before relying on DST results.