Additional Information

• Results should always be assessed in conjunction with patient's medical history, clinical examination and other findings.
• It is recommended to draw blood as fasting, morning samples. For long-term investigations, the samples should always be taken under same conditions as the baseline sample, as the serum β-CTx concentration is to some extent subject to a circadian rhythm.
• By determining a bone resorption marker, the activity of bone turnover can be found. In physiologically or pathologically elevated bone resorption (e.g. in old age or as a result of osteoporosis), type I collagen is degraded to an increased extent, and there is a commensurate rise in the level of collagen fragments in blood.
• Elevated serum concentrations of isomerized C-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen have been reported for patients with increased bone resorption. The serum levels return to normal during resorption-inhibiting therapy.
• Results may be confounded by clinical conditions known to affect bone resorption, e.g. hyperparathyroidism or hyperthyroidism.
• Caution should be exercised when measuring serum β-CTx levels in patients with reduced renal funtion as this may lead to reduced excretion of serum β-CTx and a consequent increase in the apparent serum β-CTx levels is seen.
• The Elecsys β-CrossLaps/Serum assay is not suited to predict the development of an osteoporosis case or a fracture risk and should not be used with hyperparathyroidism or hyperthyroidism either.
• Should not be used as a sole determinant for deciding on or modifying an existing treatment regimen.