Plasma Copper

Overview

Plasma copper measures the amount of copper circulating in your blood. Copper is a vital mineral that your body needs in small amounts to function properly. It plays a key role in forming red blood cells, maintaining healthy nerves, and supporting the immune system. Copper also helps your body absorb iron and is involved in energy production. By measuring plasma copper levels, doctors can assess if there's too much or too little copper in your body, which can affect your health in various ways. Monitoring these levels helps ensure that your body's systems are working smoothly and can help identify any potential issues with copper metabolism or absorption.

Testing Levels:

• High (22 umol/L) - If plasma copper levels are higher than normal, it may indicate an excess of copper in the body, known as hypercupremia. This could be due to overexposure to copper, such as from environmental sources or contaminated water. It may also be a sign of certain health conditions, like Wilson's disease, where the body cannot properly eliminate excess copper, leading to accumulation in organs like the liver and brain. High copper levels can cause symptoms like fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice, and neurological issues. Detecting elevated copper levels allows for timely intervention to reduce copper levels and prevent complications.
  
  
• Mid - Plasma copper levels within the normal range indicate that your body has an adequate amount of copper to support essential functions. This balance means that your dietary intake, absorption, and utilisation of copper are all functioning properly. It's a good sign that your body is maintaining healthy copper levels, supporting vital processes like energy production, immune function, and maintenance of healthy nerves and connective tissue.
  
  When plasma copper levels are near the upper limit, it suggests that copper levels are higher than average but not yet excessive. This could be a result of increased copper intake or early stages of conditions affecting copper metabolism. It serves as a warning sign to monitor copper levels more closely and possibly adjust dietary intake or investigate underlying causes to prevent levels from becoming too high.
  
  If plasma copper levels are near the lower limit, it may suggest that your body is not getting quite enough copper. This could be due to a diet low in copper-rich foods or issues with absorbing copper from your diet. While you may not experience symptoms yet, it's important to ensure you're consuming enough copper to prevent deficiency. Including foods like nuts, seeds, whole grains, and shellfish can help increase copper intake.
  
  
• Low (13 umol/L) - Low plasma copper levels, known as hypocupremia, indicate a copper deficiency. This can lead to symptoms like fatigue, weakness, anaemia, decreased immune function, and neurological problems such as numbness or tingling. Causes of low copper levels include poor dietary intake, malabsorption syndromes, or genetic disorders like Menkes disease, which affects copper absorption. Identifying low copper levels is important so that steps can be taken to address the deficiency, either through dietary changes or supplements, under medical supervision.

Why We Test Plasma Copper

Testing plasma copper is important because copper is essential for many bodily functions, including making red blood cells, maintaining nerve cells, and supporting the immune system. Abnormal copper levels can lead to serious health issues. The test helps detect imbalances, allowing for early intervention to correct high or low copper levels and prevent complications associated with copper deficiency or toxicity. It is particularly important if you have symptoms of copper imbalance or conditions that affect copper metabolism.

What Affects It

Several factors can influence plasma copper levels. Diet is a primary factor, as copper is obtained from foods like nuts, seeds, whole grains, and shellfish. Age and sex can also affect copper levels; for example, women may have higher levels during pregnancy due to increased needs. Health conditions like liver disease, kidney problems, or genetic disorders can lead to abnormal copper levels. Certain medications, supplements, and hormonal changes can impact copper levels as well. It's important to consider these factors when interpreting test results to get an accurate understanding of your copper status.

How to Improve

If your plasma copper levels are high or close to being high, you can reduce them by decreasing intake of copper-rich foods and avoiding copper supplements. In some cases, medications that help remove excess copper from the body may be prescribed by a doctor. If levels are low or close to being low, increasing your intake of copper-rich foods like nuts, seeds, whole grains, and shellfish can help. Sometimes, copper supplements may be recommended under medical guidance. It's important to address any underlying conditions affecting copper levels and to make dietary changes as needed, always in consultation with a healthcare professional.

Common Name: Plasma Copper