An essential trace mineral for immunity, connective tissue, and iron metabolism.
Copper is an essential trace mineral the body needs in small amounts for energy production, iron metabolism, connective tissue and the nervous system. It is carried in the blood mostly bound to a protein called ceruloplasmin.
This test measures copper in whole blood by ICP-MS. It is a trace-element test that assesses whether copper status is normal, deficient or raised.
Both too little and too much copper cause problems, so it is kept within a regulated range. Measuring it helps detect deficiency, excess, and rare inherited disorders of copper handling.
A low level can follow malabsorption, high zinc intake or the inherited Menkes disease, and may cause anaemia and nerve symptoms. A high level can reflect inflammation, liver disease or, with low ceruloplasmin, Wilson disease, in which copper builds up in tissues.
Aniva reads your result against research-backed ranges, not just the lab's wide normal. The reference shown below is specific to this biomarker.
| Measure | Adult range (SI) |
|---|---|
| Copper, blood | 11 to 22 µmol/L |
Ranges are guidance and vary by lab, sex and sample type. Levels rise with inflammation, oestrogen and pregnancy. Cite your laboratory's reference interval.
Copper rises with inflammation, infection, pregnancy and oestrogen-containing medication, which can mask a true deficiency. Contamination from non-trace-element-free tubes falsely raises results. Interpretation needs medical context and often ceruloplasmin.
Read with ceruloplasmin, zinc and C-reactive protein (CRP). Low ceruloplasmin with high free copper supports Wilson disease.
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