PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Shaunak, Meera
AU  - Blair, Joanne C
AU  - Davies, Justin Huw
TI  - How to interpret a single cortisol measurement
AID  - 10.1136/archdischild-2019-318431
DP  - 2020 Dec 01
TA  - Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition
PG  - 347--351
VI  - 105
IP  - 6
4099  - http://ep.bmj.com/content/105/6/347.short
4100  - http://ep.bmj.com/content/105/6/347.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed2020 Dec 01; 105
AB  - Adrenal insufficiency can present with non-specific clinical features. Therefore, a single cortisol measurement is often included in the biochemical work-up of an unwell child. This article aims to review the diagnostic utility of a single cortisol measurement by outlining the physiological, clinical and technical factors affecting result interpretation. Clinical scenarios are used to illustrate how this test may be used in different commonly encountered situations in general paediatrics, with the aim of minimising the frequency of inconclusive results.