Many patients have heard of the "hormone of joy." In medicine, this substance is called serotonin. It affects the mental state of a person. Serotonin deficiency leads to a persistent decrease in mood, and subsequently to chronic depression. By the level of this hormone, one can judge not only mental, but also somatic human health. Doctors rarely prescribe a serotonin test for patients. This study is mainly used for the diagnosis of severe cancer. What are the normal levels of serotonin? And what causes the increase or decrease of the hormone? We will answer these questions in the article.
What it is
Serotonin is a hormone that is produced primarily in the intestinal mucosa. About 5% of this substance is produced by the pineal gland (pineal gland) of the brain. Serotonin is otherwise called the "hormone of happiness" or the "hormone of joy." It has the following effects on the body:
- Promotes a good mood.
- Increases physical activity.
- In high doses, reduces sensitivity to pain.
- Enhances intestinal motility.
- It has anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory effects.
- Accelerates blood coagulation.
- Reduces the risk of clogged veins.
- Enhances uterine contractions during childbirth.
This hormone directly affects mental health and mood. Serotonin biosynthesis increases significantly in sunlight. Therefore, in fair weather, a person improves mood. The same process can explain the onset of depression in the winter season.
How is the study
How to get tested for serotonin? They take blood from a vein in the arm for examination. The amount of hormone in the serum is determined by liquid chromatography. This is one of the most accurate and effective ways.
Serotonin testing is not a common study. It is prescribed quite rarely. Therefore, you can pass the test only in large laboratories and diagnostic centers. Not every medical institution has special equipment and reagents for research.
Test results for serotonin levels are usually available three business days after blood sampling. The decoding of the test must be shown to your doctor. Only a specialist can correctly interpret the research data.
How to prepare for the test
In order for the study to show reliable results, the following rules for preparing for analysis for serotonin must be observed:
- This test is recommended in the morning after fasting for 8-14 hours. If the analysis is taken during the day, then the last meal is allowed 4 hours before the study.
- The day before the blood sampling, products containing serotonin should be excluded from the diet. These include vanilla sugar pastries, sweets, bananas, pineapples, tea and coffee. It is also necessary to abandon the use of alcohol.
- Three days before the test, stress and physical activity should be avoided. These factors can affect serotonin levels.
- 20 minutes before taking the biomaterial, you must try to observe complete physical and emotional peace.
10-14 days before the analysis, you must also stop taking the medicine. If it is impossible to interrupt the course of treatment, then you need to warn the doctor about the use of drugs.
Indications
A hormone test for serotonin is prescribed if you suspect the following pathologies:
- abdominal cancers;
- intestinal obstruction;
- heart valve disease;
- malignant neoplasms of the endocrine glands;
- leukemia.
Doctors recommend passing this study with causeless weight loss. Unexplained weight loss can be a sign of cancer.
This test is also used in psychiatric practice. Doctors prescribe a serotonin test for depression and suspected schizophrenia. These mental disorders are accompanied by a decrease in the level of the hormone of joy.
Normal performance
Most often, the concentration of serotonin is measured in ng / ml (nanograms per milliliter). The norm is indicators from 50 to 220 ng / ml.
In some laboratories, micromoles per liter (µmol / L) are used as the unit of measurement. To recalculate the indicators, you need to multiply the level of serotonin in ng / ml by a factor of 0.00568. Reference values are 0.22 - 2.05 μmol / L.
False indicators
In some cases, a blood test for serotonin can give false results. A decrease in the concentration of the hormone is noted during the menstrual period, as well as in patients suffering from obesity and migraine. Serotonin levels increase during ovulation with estrogen and antidepressant medications.
However, these factors do not significantly affect hormone levels. Typically, deviations in serotonin levels from normal indicate serious pathologies.
Increased rate
A significant increase in the concentration of serotonin is observed with carcinoid tumors of the digestive tract. An excessive concentration of the hormone in the serum is diagnosed in the late stages of cancer, when the patient develops metastases. Carcinoid tumors are more common in older people. They are localized in the middle and lower intestines.
Very high levels of serotonin are one of the signs of medullary thyroid cancer. This is a rare neoplasm that has hormonal activity. With such a pathology, the results of the analysis can exceed the norm by 5-10 times.
Serotonin increases slightly with cysts in the digestive tract, intestinal obstruction, and also in the acute period of myocardial infarction. Also, a slight increase in the hormone indicator is observed during the course of treatment with drugs for depression.
What to do if the indicator of the analysis for serotonin significantly exceeds the norm? A high concentration of the hormone can only indirectly indicate the presence of hormone-active tumors. However, this test cannot be used to judge the localization and size of the neoplasm. Therefore, for more accurate diagnosis, additional examinations are required: MRI or CT, ultrasound, biopsy and histological analyzes.
Low hormone levels
A decrease in serotonin concentration is noted with the following pathologies:
- genetic disorders (phenylketonuria, Down's disease);
- Depression
- schizophrenia;
- parkinsonism;
- leukemia;
- vitamin B6 deficiency;
- liver diseases.
The severity of depression can be judged by the degree of decrease in serotonin. The lower the level of the hormone of joy, the more pronounced mood disorders.
How to increase hormone
What to do if the indicators of the analysis for serotonin are below normal? If the decrease in hormone concentration is caused by severe somatic or mental illness, then a long course of treatment is necessary.
Is it possible to increase the level of the hormone yourself? This is only possible with mild forms of depression. To improve mood, doctors recommend following these guidelines:
- Often include bananas, cheese, red meat, pasta, fish and seafood in the diet. These foods contain tryptophan. This is the name of the amino acid that is involved in the biosynthesis of serotonin.
- Serotonin production is affected by sunlight. Therefore, during clear weather you need to be more often in the fresh air.
- It is necessary to try to observe sufficient physical activity. Sports and hiking enhance hormone synthesis.
There are also drugs that increase serotonin levels. These include many types of antidepressants. However, you cannot take such medications on your own. They are strictly prescription drugs that can only be prescribed by a psychiatrist. Serotonin antidepressants are used to treat severe forms of depression.
It is important to remember that excess hormone is extremely harmful to the body. This can lead to a life-threatening condition - serotonin syndrome. This pathology is accompanied by agitation, fever, hallucinations, anxiety, and tremors. Most often, this condition occurs due to an overdose or violation of the rules for taking antidepressants. Therefore, self-medication with such drugs is absolutely unacceptable.