Amino Acid Profiling: Clinical Guidelines for Determination of Preferred Specimen Choice

Summary

A large majority of reports documenting clinically useful information from evaluation of essential amino acids have evaluated plasma levels. Bradley Bongiovanni, ND, Judy Feinerman

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Bongiovanni B, and Feinerman J, “Amino Acid Profiling: Clinical Guidelines for Determination of Preferred Specimen Choice.” Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients. 2003. 245: p. 38-42.

Details

Profiling of amino acids in plasma and urine has been used to elucidate a rapidly growing number of aminoacidopathies since the introduction of partition chromatography methods in 1945. The question of whether plasma or urine may be the preferred specimen choice for amino acid testing is a frequent clinical concern in the evaluation of a patient's amino acid status. An informed decision must involve what principal clinical answers are sought and which amino acids are being tested. To state categorically that profiling of amino acids is best performed on plasma or urine is to oversimplify. The question of preferred specimen can be answered only when it is addressed to specific amino acids or to the specific type of information desired.