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Catecholamines in Blood

Results

A test for catecholamines measures the amount of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine in the blood. These catecholamines are made by Reference nerve tissue Opens New Window Reference Opens New Window, the brain, and the Reference adrenal glands Opens New Window. The test also may measure the amounts of metanephrine and normetanephrine.

Normal

The normal values listed here—called a reference range—are just a guide. These ranges vary from lab to lab, and your lab may have a different range for what's normal. Your lab report should contain the range your lab uses. Also, your doctor will evaluate your results based on your health and other factors. This means that a value that falls outside the normal values listed here may still be normal for you or your lab.

**Catecholamines in blood** ^{Reference 1}
Epinephrine:	Lying down:	Less than 110 Reference picograms per microliter (pg/mL) Opens New Window or less than 599 Reference picomoles per liter (pmol/L) Opens New Window
Epinephrine:	Standing up:	Less than 140 pg/mL or less than 762 pmol/L
Norepinephrine:	Lying down:	70–750 pg/mL or 381–4,083 pmol/L
Norepinephrine:	Standing up:	200–1,700 pg/mL or 1,088–9,256 pmol/L
Dopamine:	Sitting or lying down:	Less than 30 pg/mL or less than 163 pmol/L
Metanephrine:	Sitting or lying down:	Less than 0.50 Reference nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) Opens New Window
Normetanephrine:	Sitting or lying down:	Less than 0.90 nmol/L

High values

High levels of catecholamines, vanillylmandelic acid (VMA), or metanephrine can mean that an adrenal gland tumor (Reference pheochromocytoma Opens New Window) or another type of tumor that makes catecholamines is present.
Any major stress, such as burns, a whole-body infection (Reference sepsis), illness, surgery, or traumatic injury, can cause high catecholamine levels.
Many blood pressure medicines can also cause high catecholamine levels.

Low values

Low levels of catecholamines usually do not indicate a problem.

By:	Reference Healthwise Staff	Last Revised: Reference June 20, 2012
Medical Review:	Reference E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Reference Alan C. Dalkin, MD - Endocrinology