Catecholamines - urine - Results
Alternative Names
Dopamine-urine test; Epinephrine-urine test; Adrenalin-urine test; Vanillylmandelic acid (VMA); Urine metanephrine; Normetanephrine; Norepinephrine-urine test; Urine catecholamines; VMA; HVA; Metanephrine; Homovanillic acid (HVA)
Normal Values:
All of the catecholamines are broken down into inactive substances that appear in the urine:
- Dopamine becomes Homovanillic acid (HVA)
- Norepinephrine becomes normetanephrine and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA)
- Epinephrine becomes metanephrine and VMA
The normal ranges vary from lab to lab, but in general are as follows:
- Dopamine: 65 - 400 mcg/24 hours
- Epinephrine: 0.5 - 20 mcg/24 hours
- Metanephrine: 24 - 96 mcg/24 hours (some laboratories give the range as 140 - 785 mcg/24-hours)
- Norepinephrine: 15 - 80 mcg/24 hours
- Normetanephrine: 75 - 375 mcg/24 hours
- Total urine catecholamines: 14 - 110 mcg/24 hours
- VMA: 2 - 7 mg/24-hours
Note: mg/hour = milligrams per hour; mcg/hour = micrograms per hour.
What abnormal results mean:
Elevated levels of urinary catecholamines may indicate:
Additional conditions under which the test may be performed:
- Reviewed last on: 5/17/2007
- Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
References
Wilson SP, Kamin DL, Feldman JM. Acetaminophen administration interferes with urinary metanephrine (and catecholamine) determinations. Clin Chem. 1985;31(6):1093-4.