Measuring Late-night Salivary Cortisol (LNSC) is an alternative to blood and urine for both research and diagnostic use.
No wonder patients are opting for salivary cortisol testing over blood and urine tests- it is less stressful and you can do it at home! You can order the kits and have them home-delivered.
There are several approved salivary collection methods and research continues to indicate that salivary biomarkers are highly reliable. More info about salivary bioscience and a really cool company is below.
If you are living with Cushing’s Syndrome or Addison’s Disease you’ve probably drooled for an LNSC.
Patient Worthy picked up a recently published article by the Cambridge Network highlighting how insanely cool LNSC tests are. Cambridge Network is not alone in reporting that Late-night Salivary Cortisol (LNSC) is the best approach to screen for Cushing’s Syndrome.
LNSC, if you haven’t heard of it before it is a non evasive test that measures for the biomarker- cortisol (hydrocortisone, Compound F).
Cortisol is the major glucocorticoid hormone produced in the adrenal cortex. It’s actively involved in the regulation of calcium absorption, blood pressure maintenance, anti-inflammatory function, gluconeogenesis, gastric acid and pepsin secretion, and immune function.
- Increased cortisol production is associated with Cushing’s syndrome & adrenal tumors
- Decreased cortisol production is associated with adrenal insufficiency & Addison’s disease
The Endocrine Society recommends that 3 tests are conducted for the initial screening of Cushing’s Syndrome:
- 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST)
- Late-night Salivary Cortisol (LNSC)
- Urinary Free Cortisol (UFC)
But if you are a patient needing measurement of your cortisol production in particular, you may want to talk to your doctor or lab technician about an LNSC. Recommendations are that LNSCs should be repeated to ensure optimal sensitivity. LNSC tests have also proven useful in monitoring patients for recurrence of Cushing’s disease after pituitary surgery.
The bottom line is that LNSC tests are very relevant to Cushing’s and Addison’s patients both pre and post diagnosis.
This is only one specific kind of saliva test, but popularity for “salivary bioscience” is growing.
A company called Salimetrics was ahead of the crowd back in the early 90’s when Professor Douglas Granger of Penn State University began developing Salivary Assay Kits and Saliva Testing Services. Today, Salimetrics globally supports researchers and laboratories on the cutting edge of new findings to better peoples’ lives. To read more info about Salimetrics products and services in both the US and UK, click here.
