Ceruloplasmin
- Formal Name:
- Ceruloplasmin
- serum

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.At a Glance
Why Get Tested?
To measure the amount of ceruloplasmin in your blood; to help diagnose Wilson disease; sometimes to help identify conditions associated with copper deficiencies
When To Get Tested?
When you have jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain, behavioral changes, tremors, or other symptoms that a healthcare practitioner thinks may be due to Wilson disease or, rarely, to copper deficiency; periodically when monitoring is recommended
Sample Required?
A blood sample drawn from a vein
Test Preparation Needed?
None
You may be able to find your test results on your laboratory’s website or patient portal. However, you are currently at Testing.com. You may have been directed here by your lab’s website in order to provide you with background information about the test(s) you had performed. You will need to return to your lab’s website or portal, or contact your healthcare practitioner in order to obtain your test results.
Testing.com is an award-winning patient education website offering information on laboratory tests. The content on the site, which has been reviewed by laboratory scientists and other medical professionals, provides general explanations of what results might mean for each test listed on the site, such as what a high or low value might suggest to your healthcare practitioner about your health or medical condition.
The reference ranges for your tests can be found on your laboratory report. They are typically found to the right of your results.
If you do not have your lab report, consult your healthcare provider or the laboratory that performed the test(s) to obtain the reference range.
Laboratory test results are not meaningful by themselves. Their meaning comes from comparison to reference ranges. Reference ranges are the values expected for a healthy person. They are sometimes called “normal” values. By comparing your test results with reference values, you and your healthcare provider can see if any of your test results fall outside the range of expected values. Values that are outside expected ranges can provide clues to help identify possible conditions or diseases.
While accuracy of laboratory testing has significantly evolved over the past few decades, some lab-to-lab variability can occur due to differences in testing equipment, chemical reagents, and techniques. This is a reason why so few reference ranges are provided on this site. It is important to know that you must use the range supplied by the laboratory that performed your test to evaluate whether your results are “within normal limits.”
For more information, please read the article Reference Ranges and What They Mean.
What is being tested?
Ceruloplasmin is a copper-containing enzyme that plays a role in the body’s iron metabolism. This test measures the amount of ceruloplasmin in the blood.
Copper is an essential mineral that plays a role in the regulation of iron metabolism, formation of connective tissue, energy production within cells, and the function of the nervous system. It is absorbed from food and liquids by the intestines and then transported to the liver, where it is stored or used to produce a variety of enzymes.
The liver binds copper to a protein to produce ceruloplasmin and then releases it into the bloodstream. About 95% of the copper in the blood is bound to ceruloplasmin. Because of this, the ceruloplasmin test can be used along with one or more copper tests to help diagnose Wilson disease, an inherited disorder that can lead to excess storage of copper in the eyes, liver, brain, and other organs.
Common Questions
View Sources
Sources Used in Current Review
Ceruloplasmin Test. U.S. National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus. Available online at https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/ceruloplasmin-test/. Accessed February 2020.
Kelly D, Crotty G, O’Mullane J, Stapleton M, Sweeney B, O’Sullivan SS. (January 2016) The Clinical Utility of a Low Serum Ceruloplasmin Measurement in the Diagnosis of Wilson Disease. Irish Medical Journal. Available online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26904791. Accessed February 2020.
Tapper EB, Rahni DO, Arnaout R, Lai M. (October 2013) The Overuse of Serum Ceruloplasmin Measurement. American Journal of Medicine. Available online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23953876. Accessed February 2020.
(Updated February 2019) Gilroy Richard. Wilson Disease Workup. Medscape. Available online at https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/183456-workup#c7. [Accessed February 2020]
(Updated January 2020) Wilson Disease. U.S. National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference. Available online at https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/wilson-disease. Accessed February 2020.
Sources Used in Previous Reviews
Clarke, W. and Dufour, D. R., Editors (2006). Contemporary Practice in Clinical Chemistry, AACC Press, Washington, DC. Christenson, R., Chapter 17, Proteins: Analysis and Interpretation in Serum, Urine, and Cerebrospinal Fluid. Pp. 197 – 210.
Cox, D. and Roberts, E. (2006 January 24). Wilson Disease. GeneReviews [On-line information]. Available online through http://www.genetests.org. Accessed on 7/17/07.
Thomas, Clayton L., Editor (1997). Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Company, Philadelphia, PA [18th Edition]. Pp. 353.
(2007 January). Wilson’s Disease Remains Difficult to Diagnose. Medscape from Reuters Health, from Gut 2007;56:115-120. [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/550386. Accessed on 7/27/07.
Das, S. and Ray, K. (2006 October 13). Wilson’s Disease: An Update. Medscape from Nature Clinical Practice Neurology [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/543866. Accessed on 7/27/07.
Van Voorhees, B. (2007 January 22). Ceruloplasmin. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003662.htm. Accessed on 7/27/07.
Wu, A. (2006). Tietz Clinical Guide to Laboratory Tests, Fourth Edition. Saunders Elsevier, St. Louis, Missouri. Pp. 230 – 233.
Dugdale, D. (Updated 2009 February 23). Ceruloplasmin. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003662.htm. Accessed November 2010.
(© 1995-2010). Unit Code 8364: Ceruloplasmin, Serum. Mayo Clinic, Mayo Medical Laboratories [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Overview/8364. Accessed November 2010.
McMillin, G. and Roberts, W. (Updated 2010 May). Wilson Disease. ARUP Consult [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.arupconsult.com/Topics/WilsonDz.html?client_ID=LTD#tabs=0. Accessed November 2010.
Mak, C. et. al. (2008 June 12). Diagnostic Accuracy of Serum Ceruloplasmin in Wilson Disease: Determination of Sensitivity and Specificity by ROC Curve Analysis among ATP7B-Genotyped Subjects. Clinical Chemistry. 2008;54:1356-1362 [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.clinchem.org/cgi/content/full/54/8/1356. Accessed November 2010.
Johnson, L. (Revised 2008 August). Copper. Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/sec01/ch005/ch005c.html?qt=wilson disease&alt=sh#sec01-ch005-ch005c-534. Accessed November 2010.
Wu, A. (© 2006). Tietz Clinical Guide to Laboratory Tests, 4th Edition: Saunders Elsevier, St. Louis, MO. Pp 230 – 233.
Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics. Burtis CA, Ashwood ER, Bruns DE, eds. St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders; 2006, Pp. 556 – 559.
(Updated 2014 July 23). Wilson Disease. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/digestive-diseases/wilson-disease/Pages/facts.aspx. Accessed December 2014.
Dugdale, D. (Updated 2013 February 2).Ceruloplasmin. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003662.htm. Accessed December 2014.
Strathmann, F. et. al. (Updated 2014 November). Wilson Disease. ARUP Consult [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.arupconsult.com/Topics/WilsonDz.html?client_ID=LTD. Accessed December 2014.
(© 1995–2014). Ceruloplasmin, Serum. Mayo Clinic Mayo Medical Laboratories [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Overview/8364. Accessed December 2014.
Johnson, L. (Revised 2013 April). Copper Deficiency and Toxicity. Merck Manual Professional Edition [On-line information]. Available online through http://www.merckmanuals.com. Accessed December 2014.
Gilroy, R. (Updated 2014 May 2). Wilson Disease. Medscape Drugs & Diseases [On-line information]. Available online at http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/183456-overview. Accessed December 2014.
Lorincz, M. (2012). Recognition and Treatment of Neurologic Wilson’s Disease. Medscape Multispecialty from Semin Neurol. 2012;32(5):538-543 [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/805129. Accessed December 2014.
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