Specimen Requirements
Title
Complement, Total (CH50)
Specimen Requirement
Collect SST or red top, allow to clot at room temperature for 15-30 minutes, centrifuge, transfer 1.0 mL serum to a screw top plastic vial, indicate sample type on tube and freeze immediately. Send frozen on dry ice.
Critical frozen.
Methodology
Quantitative liposome lysis by spectrophotometry
Stability
Room temp: Unacceptable, Refrigerated: Unacceptable, Frozen: 14 days
Reference Range
The reference range is determined by the performing laboratory and will show on the report.
Turnaround
2-4 days
Clinical Use
Evaluate and follow up SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) patient’s response to therapy; may predict disease flare in SLE; evaluate for complement component deficiency; evaluate complement activity in cases of immune complex disease, glomerulonephritis, rheumatoid arthritis, SBE, cryoglobulinemia. The CH50 assay mainly evaluates the classical pathway.
Test Code
CH50S