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:

• Acute anxiety
• Ganglioblastoma (very rare)
• Ganglioneuroma (very rare)
• Neuroblastoma (rare)
• Pheochromocytoma (rare)
• Severe stress

Additional conditions under which the test may be performed:

• Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) II