Copeptin
minimum sample volume required ~ 5ml
Test Code: COP
Other acceptable tube types
Lithium heparin (pale green)
Special instructions
Usually available for endocrinology patients only.
Sent away
to Royal Victoria Hospital, Newcastle
Contact Laboratory before requesting
Reference range
No single reference range is applicable as copeptin varies according to plasma osmolality in normal individuals. An interpretive comment will be included with each report.
Units
pmol/L
Turnaround Time
28
days
Department: Biochemistry
Clinical Application
Copeptin is used in the differential diagnosis of polyuria/polydipsia syndromes.
Copeptin is released on an equimolar basis with arginine vasopressin (AVP). Copeptin provides a surrogate measure of AVP concentrations. The differentiation of AVP deficiency (cranial diabetes insipidus) from primary polydipsia can be made by measurement of copeptin during the controlled osmotic stress of a hypertonic saline infusion. Patients with AVP resistance (nephrogenic diabetes insipidus) typically have higher copeptin concentrations.
Please see RUH biochemistry webpage for copeptin protocol under clinical guideline.
Webpage updated: March 2024.