Dopamine-urine test; Epinephrine-urine test; Adrenalin-urine test; Vanillylmandelic acid (VMA); Urine metanephrine; Normetanephrine; Norepinephrine-urine test; Urine catecholamines; VMA; HVA; Metanephrine; Homovanillic acid (HVA)

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 following normal values represent the amount of the substance found in the urine over a 24 hour period. Normal values vary from lab to lab, but in general are as follows:

• Dopamine: 65 - 400 micrograms (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 milligrams (mg)/24 hours

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

Images

Catecholamine urine test

Female urinary tract

Male urinary tract

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Catecholamines Overview

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Catecholamines Risks

Review Date: 05/09/2009
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)