Catecholamine blood test

What are Catecholamines?

Catecholamines are a group of similar hormones released into the bloodstream in response to physical or emotional stress.

Catecholamine testing measures the amounts of these hormones in the urine and/or blood. Urine testing is recommended over blood testing.

Functions of Catecholamines:

• Catecholamines are released into the bloodstream in response to physical and emotional stress to:
  • help transmit nerve impulses in the brain,
  • increase glucose and fatty acid release for energy,
  • dilate bronchioles (decreasing resistance in the respiratory airway and increasing airflow to the lungs),
  • dilate the pupils.

The above functions only increase during and shortly after a stressful situation and the broken down catecholamines are then eliminated from the body through the urine. However a group of rare nervous system tumors (such as pheochromocytom, paragangliomas or neuroblastoma) can produce large amounts of these catecholamines and cause havoc inside the body, such as:

• Sudden hypertension
• Severe headaches
• Heart palpitations
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Anxiety
• Tingling in hands and feet.