Ceruloplasmin Test

A ceruloplasmin test measures the amount of ceruloplasmin in a sample of your blood. Your liver makes ceruloplasmin by attaching copper to a protein. Your liver releases the ceruloplasmin into your bloodstream so it can carry copper to the parts of your body that need it.

Copper is a mineral that your body uses for many important processes, including making energy, blood vessels, and melanin (the substance that gives your skin and eyes their color). Copper helps your body use iron, and it supports brain development. It helps keep your nervous and immune systems healthy, too.

You need only small amounts of copper to stay healthy. Most people get enough copper from the foods they eat. Good sources of copper include shellfish, nuts and seeds, beef liver and other organ meats, wheat-bran cereals, and chocolate.

Normally, most of the copper in your blood is part of ceruloplasmin. So, ceruloplasmin testing can help diagnose conditions that involve having too much or too little copper in your body.

Why this test is done

Your health care provider may order a ceruloplasmin test if you have symptoms of Wilson disease. Even though people are born with the disease, the symptoms don't appear until copper builds up in your liver, brain, or other organs. This usually happens between ages 4 and 40, but symptoms can appear earlier or later in life.

Wilson disease can cause many types of symptoms depending on which parts of your body are affected. For example:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Pain in your upper abdomen (belly)
• Urine that's a darker color than usual and/or stool (poop) that's a lighter color
• Jaundice, a condition that causes your skin and eyes to turn yellow
• A type of anemia, called hemolytic anemia, that destroys red blood cells faster than your body can make them
• Swelling from fluid buildup in your belly, lower legs, or feet
• Itchy skin
• Trouble with speech, swallowing, or physical coordination
• Tremors
• Stiff muscles and/or sudden jerky movements you can't control
• Mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, or psychosis
• Green, gold, or brown rings around your irises (the colored part of your eyes)

If you have a family history of Wilson disease, you may need a test even if you don't have symptoms.

You may also need this test if you have symptoms that could be a sign of too little copper, such as:

• Abnormally low levels of white blood cells called neutrophils
• Osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to become weak and break easily
• Fatigue
• Tingling in your hands and feet
• Pale skin

Your baby may need a ceruloplasmin test if they have symptoms of Menkes syndrome. Symptoms usually show up when babies are about two or three months old. They may include:

• Hair that is colorless, thin, breaks easily, and becomes unusually tangled
• Floppy muscles
• Seizures
• Slow weight gain and growth

Without treatment, most children with Menkes syndrome die within the first few years of life. If treatment is given in the first month after birth, some children may live longer. But even with treatment, the disease still tends to get worse over time.

If you have been diagnosed with abnormal copper levels, you may need regular ceruloplasmin testing to check your condition and to see how well your treatment is working.

How to prepare

You don't need any special preparations for a ceruloplasmin test.

Sample type

Blood

Other names for this test

CP, ceruloplasmin blood test, ceruloplasmin, serum, copper oxidase, ferroxidase