The expanding clinical use of C-peptide radioimmunoassay.
C-peptide levels are in many ways a better measure of endogenous insulin secretion than peripheral insulin levels. C-peptide may be measured in either blood or urine. Perhaps the major advantage of measuring C-peptide levels is the ability to readily distinguish endogenous insulin levels in the presence of exogenous administration of insulin. Early C-peptide immunoassays were troubled by lack of sensitivity. This problem has now been overcome, and it is possible to measure C-peptide values down to extremely low levels. The clinical indications for C-peptide measurement include diagnosis of insulinoma and differentiation from factitious hypoglycemia, follow-up of pancreatectomy and evaluation of viability of islet cell transplants. Recently these indications have been dramatically expanded to permit evaluation of insulin dependence in maturity onset diabetes mellitus.
D000906:Antibodies / Q000378:metabolism; D002096:C-Peptide / Q000032:analysis*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000175:diagnosis; D007328:Insulin / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007340:Insulinoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
D000906:Antibodies; D002096:C-Peptide; D007328:Insulin; D010455:Peptides