24-hour Calcium
Up to 24 hours
Colorimetric (NM-BAPTA)
Accredited NRL Laboratory
Daily
The 24-hour urine calcium test measures total calcium excreted over a full day. Its main clinical utility is evaluating kidney stone risk (hypercalciuria), diagnosing metabolic and parathyroid disorders, assessing bone mineral loss (osteoporosis, osteomalacia) and differentiating causes of abnormal blood calcium levels.
Results are reported in conventional units (mg/24 hours)
Urine
A complete 24-hour collection
Urine container containing 6N HCl (hydrochloric acid)
No special preparation is required for this test. You may eat, drink, and take your medications as normal, unless instructed otherwise by your healthcare provider.
To complete a 24-hour urine collection, discard your first morning urine, collect every drop of urine (collect into a suitable, clean device and transfer it to the specimen container. Do not urinate directly into the container, which contains acid and is a splash risk) for the next 24 hours in the provided container kept in the refrigerator, and return the sample to the lab as soon as possible.
Ensure the sample is received at NRL within 24 hours of completing the collection.
| Temperature | Period |
|---|---|
| Refrigerated | 14 days at 2-8°C |