UCSF Navigation Bar

UCSF Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Home Page

Lab Manual for Moffitt-Long and Mount Zion

Lab Manual for SFGH

Internal Resources

UCSF Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Home Page

Click here for more information about laboratory operations and procedures

Cortisol, serum

Item Value
Test Update Information Effective June 2, 2010, the Cortisol values will read approximately 10% lower due to a restandardization of the calibrator materials from the reagent vendor. This new restandardization will bring results closer to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) values.
Approval req'd? No
Available Stat? No
Test code CORT
Test group Cortisol
Performed by China Basin Chemistry
In House Availability Monday-Friday (day shift)
Method Chemiluminescent immunoassay (Siemens Centaur)
Collection Instructions Morning samples (AM) should be drawn between 0700 and 0900 hours. Afternoon (PM) samples should be drawn between 1500 and 1700 hours. Normal ranges are based upon collection of samples within these timeframes.
Container type Gold top
Amount to Collect 1 mL blood
Sample type Serum
Preferred volume 0.5 mL serum
Min. Volume 0.2 mL serum
UCSF Rejection Criteria Samples collected outside of stated time frames
Processing notes Refrigerate
Units µg/dL
Normal range
AM (0700-0900 hours) 4-22 µg/dL
PM (1500-1700 hours) 3-17 µg/dL


Reference range adopted from vendor performed studies and verified by running lab personnel
Synonyms Compound F; 11-hydroxycorticosteroids; 11-hydroxycorticoids; 11-OH steroids; 11-OH corticosteroids; Cosyntropin provocative testing
Turn around times 1-3 days
Additional information The Centaur Cortisol assay is highly specific for cortisol.

Cross-reactivity by structurally related compounds and pharmaceuticals was determined by spiking each compound into separate human serum samples to a final level of 1000 µg/dL (27,590 nmol/L), unless otherwise noted.

% cross-reactivity = ((cortisol in spiked sample, µg/dL – cortisol in unspiked sample, µg/dL) x 100) / (concentration of compound added, µg/dL)

Compound Concentration of Compound tested Updated % Cross-Reactivity
Aldosterone 1000 µg/dL 0.3
Allotetrahydrocortisol 100 µg/dL 6.5
Andrastenedione 1000 µg/dL ND1
Corticosterone 1000 µg/dL 5.3
Cortisone 100 µg/dL 31.1
α-cortol 1000 µg/dL ND
α-cortolone 1000 µg/dL ND
β-cortol 1000 µg/dL ND
β-cortolone 1000 µg/dL ND
Dehydrocorticosterone 1000 µg/dL 1.9
11-deoxycorticosterone 1000 µg/dL 1.8
11-deoxycortisol 100 µg/dL 23.3
21-deoxycortisol 100 µg/dL 8.1
20α-dihydrocortisol 1000 µg/dL 0.5
20β-dihydrocortisol 1000 µg/dL 1.3
20α-dihydrocortisone 1000 µg/dL 0.2
20β-dihydrocortisone 1000 µg/dL ND
11β-hydroxyandrosterone 1000 µg/dL ND
6β-hydroxycortisol 1000 µg/dL 6.8
11β-hydroxyetiocholanolone 1000 µg/dL ND
11β-hydroxyprogesterone 1000 µg/dL 1.0
17α-hydroxyprogesterone 1000 µg/dL 1.2
17β-hydroxypregnanolone 1000 µg/dL ND
11-keto-androsterone 1000 µg/dL ND
11-keto-etiocholanolone 1000 µg/dL 1.8
Pregnanetriol 1000 µg/dL ND
Pregnenolone 1000 µg/dL 0.5
Progesterone 1000 µg/dL ND
Spironolactone 1000 µg/dL ND
Testosterone 1000 µg/dL 0.2
Tetrahydrocortisol 1000 µg/dL ND
Tetrahydrocortisone 1000 µg/dL 0.3
Tetrahydro-11-deoxycortisol 1000 µg/dL ND
Prednisolone 50 µg/dL 109
6-methyl-prednisolone 100 µg/dL 26.2
Dexamethasone 1000 µg/dL 0.2
Prednisone 100 µg/dL 34.0
Canrenone 1000 µg/dL 0.3


* ND = Not Detectable
LOINC code 2143-6
Last Updated 2/14/2013 10:52:38 AM
Entry Number 258
Lab Procedure Link Click here for Procedure

If you have additional questions regarding this test, please call: 415-353-1667

Search Our Test Menu

The University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143. ©1998-2012 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Web Design by Dayspring Technologies, Inc.

UCSF home page UCSF home page About UCSF Search UCSF UCSF Medical Center