Salivary Cortisol

General Information

The level of cortisol in saliva normally drops to low levels overnight. However, people with Cushing's syndrome show high levels late in the evening and overnight, and may be asked to collect a sample of saliva at midnight. Normally, this test is done at home and delivered to hospital in the next few days.

Patient Preparation

Individuals should avoid eating and brushing teeth for 30 minutes before collecting saliva samples to minimise the potential for blood contamination.

Saliva specimens should be collected using a Sarstedt cortisol salivette.  Saliva collected into a plain container by passive drool is also acceptable

Notes

Salivettes for saliva collection can be requested from specimen reception.