Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) Saliva Test

Only for Germany and Austria

• We would like to point out that these tests and the shipping processes are optimized for Germany and Austria and are prepaid.
• Samples must be delivered to the German laboratory within 4 days. This cannot be guaranteed for samples shipped from other countries!
• Orders from countries other than Germany and Austria are therefore at your own risk. In this case, we only accept the payment method "Prepayment (directly to us)", as customers cannot then cancel the purchase, e.g., because the sample arrived at the laboratory unusable through their own fault. Purchases made with any other payment methods that customers could unlawfully reverse will be immediately canceled and refunded.
• You can find more information about this from the manufacturer!

Cortisol is one of the most important stress hormones

Due to cortisol’s numerous neuroendocrine interactions, an excess of it can lead, amongst other things, to metabolic disorders characterised by obesity, visceral fat distribution and elevated blood lipid levels, as well as to diabetes, immunodeficiencies and a reduced ability to defend against infections and tumours. This results from the suppression of the cellular immune response whilst simultaneously relatively enhancing the humoral immune response. It contributes to increased secretion during acute and repeated stressful situations. In the body, concentrations are highest between 7 and 8 am.

Due to the considerable time required for a daily cortisol profile to be carried out for the patient, numerous studies have sought a measurement method that allows for simpler sample collection and thus enables a more cost-effective test procedure. These requirements have been met by the ‘Cortisol Awakening Response’ (CAR).

The ‘Cortisol Awakening Response’ (CAR) is used to assess adrenal activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA). Within the first hour of waking in the morning, the patient provides five saliva samples for cortisol measurement.

In a quantitative meta-analysis, O. W. Schweisthal (2007) examined both aspects of measurement methodology and the influence of various variables on the results of the CAR. The information content of the CAR is specified by the calculation of various statistical parameters. The AUCI-MAX (Area Under the Curve), for example, is a measure of adrenal reactivity to the wake-up stimulus. It encompasses the absolute increase, the time span from waking until the peak value is reached, and the individual temporal profile (variations in the rate of rise over time).

The test kit contains:

• 1 set of saliva collection instructions
• 1 warranty certificate
• 1 sample submission form
• 1 set of instructions for retrieving results
• 5 saliva collection tubes
• 5 drinking straws
• 5 labels for samples 1–5, printed with ‘Name, Date, Time’
• 2 shipping containers
• 1 dispatch envelope

How does the ordering process work?

Once you have placed your order, the test pack of your choice will be sent to you along with detailed instructions. You place your sample in a sample container, send it in the provided envelope to Mediveres’ partner laboratory, GANZIMMUN Diagnostics GmbH, and will receive your results, including an assessment of your profile, within 5–7 days.