To detect and monitor a mineral deficiency or excess; sometimes to evaluate your nutritional status
Trace Elements
A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm; sometimes a random or 24-hour urine sample; rarely, a tissue sample, or another body fluid sample
Please check with your doctor to find out if you are required to fast before your test is performed.
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How is it used?
Trace element tests are typically requested individually to detect, evaluate, and monitor mineral deficiencies or excesses. A doctor may select one or more tests based upon what symptoms or underlying conditions a person has. Sometimes more than one test is requested to detect a single deficiency or toxicity, such as requesting copper and caeruloplasmin together to evaluate the amount of copper in the body, or requesting a group of iron tests (iron, total iron binding capacity, and ferritin) and a FBC (Full Blood Count) to evaluate iron deficiency as a potential cause of anaemia.
If a person has general malnutrition or a condition associated with malabsorption, then a doctor may request several trace element tests together for an initial evaluation and then repeat one or more tests periodically to monitor the person’s nutritional status and/or the effectiveness of treatment.
If someone has an inherited condition that leads to excess concentrations of an element or has been exposed to toxic concentrations, then a test for that element may be requested to help detect and diagnose the condition and then be repeated at specific intervals to monitor the person’s condition.
Blood tests are used in most cases to evaluate trace elements, but some tests may be requested on a 24-hour or random urine sample. In cases where elements are being stored in tissues or organs, a test may be requested on a biopsy sample to help diagnose and evaluate the severity of the condition.
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When is it requested?
With the possible exception of an iron test, trace element tests are not routinely performed in the general population.
Trace element tests are requested whenever a deficiency or excess is suspected due to medical history or signs and symptoms that may be present. Deficiencies in trace elements can cause a range of symptoms, depending on the mineral(s) that are lacking. Symptoms may include:
In children, deficiencies can cause congenital abnormalities, delayed growth, and affect mental development and sexual maturation.
Acute and chronic excesses of trace minerals can cause symptoms associated with toxicity that may range from mild to severe. They can cause:
- Skin rash
- Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhoea
- Seizures
- Peripheral neuropathy
- In severe cases, it may result in kidney and liver failure, shock & coma One or more tests may be requested periodically to monitor the status of a person with an underlying condition that can cause malabsorption or cause the accumulation of an excess trace element.
One or more tests may be requested periodically to monitor the status of a person with an underlying condition that can cause malabsorption or cause the accumulation of an excess trace element.
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What does the test result mean?
In general, low concentrations of a mineral indicate a deficiency and high concentrations indicate an excess. When a person is being treated for a deficiency, then increasing levels and a decrease in symptoms indicate a response to treatment. When a person is being treated for mineral toxicity, then decreasing levels and a decrease in symptoms indicate a response to treatment.
Trace element results must, however, be interpreted with some degree of caution. Some treatments for excess element can actually increase blood and urine concentrations temporarily and some elements, such as copper and zinc, may be temporarily increased by infection, inflammation, pregnancy, and a variety of diseases. Many of the symptoms associated with trace element deficiencies and excesses may also be seen with a variety of other conditions. The doctor will interpret findings in conjunction with the person’s symptoms and clinical history.
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Is there anything else I should know?
Trace elements are found in varying concentrations in a wide variety of foods. Some forms of the element are more “bioavailable” from an animal than a plant source, such as haem-iron versus non-haem iron. Some elements have been added to foods to make them more readily available, such as “fortified” grains and cereals, fluoridated water, and iodised salt.
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Should everyone be tested for trace minerals?
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How long will it take to get the results of my test?
Trace element tests, with the exception of iron tests, are not performed on a routine basis. They are frequently performed at a reference laboratory, so the results are likely to take several days.
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Should I take mineral supplements?
Talk to your doctor about taking supplements. If you are deficient, they may be of benefit to you, but taking large doses of most trace elements over time can increase your risk of toxicity. Those who take excess zinc can inhibit their use of copper. People who store excess iron or copper in their bodies must restrict and monitor their intake of these elements as the accumulation can damage tissues and organs.
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What other minerals are required by the body?
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What other micronutrients are required by the body?