Chromium blood test

Your healthcare practitioner may order this test to check for chromium deficiency or poisoning.

Symptoms of chromium deficiency include:

• Weight loss
• Neuropathy
• Impaired glucose tolerance

Orthopaedic surgeons look for serum chromium levels (serum is the liquid portion of blood that excludes cells in the blood and clotting agents), for patients who have a prosthetic joint implant placed in their body. These implants typically contain chromium and keep on releasing small amounts of the metal in the bloodstream.

A chromium blood test may also be performed to monitor recent exposure to chromium. Hexavalent chromium is mainly taken up and retained by the red blood cells (RBCs). 

RBC Chromium is tested to check for exposure to the toxic form of chromium in the last eight to 10 weeks.

Depending on the route, duration and dose of exposure, chromium toxicity can cause the following conditions:

• Asthma
• Chronic bronchitis
• Chronic pharyngitis
• Chronic rhinitis
• Congestion 
• Nasal polyps and ulcers
• Lung, nasal or sinus cancer
• Allergic dermatitis and skin ulcers
• Kidney damage
• Liver abnormalities
• Anaemia
• Gastritis

You do not require special preparation before this test. Inform your doctor if you are taking any prescribed, non-prescribed or illicit medicines. You may be asked to avoid mineral supplements and multivitamins a few days before the test. However, do not skip any medicine unless instructed by the healthcare practitioner. 

Make sure to tell your doctor if you have undergone any imaging procedure recently, as contrast agents such as gadolinium or iodine used in these procedures may interfere with the results of this test.

A blood sample is needed for the chromium blood test. A doctor or nurse will withdraw the required amount of blood from a vein in your arm. The sample will be labelled and sent to the laboratory for testing.

It is a simple procedure which takes less than a few minutes. After the test, you may experience mild pain or bruising at the site of needle insertion, but these would fade away shortly after the test.

Normal results:

In adults, the normal level for chromium in the blood is less than 1 ng/mL (nanogram per millilitre). The reference range in children has not been established. A normal result indicates that you have not been exposed to toxic levels of chromium.

The normal serum level for chromium is less than or equal to 5 μg/L (micrograms per litre).

In individuals who are not exposed to chromium at their workplace, the normal range of chromium in red blood cells is 0.5-5.4 mcg/100mL. 

Abnormal results:

A chromium level greater than 1 ng/mL in the blood indicates overexposure to the metal.

High levels of chromium in the blood may be seen in people with prosthetic metal implants. A doctor will consider your overall clinical information before interpreting the test results.

Serum chromium levels of less than 0.14-0.15 ng/mL indicate severe chromium deficiency.

Patients who receive all their nutrition (total parenteral nutrition or TPN) through a vein and do not get enough chromium are likely to have chromium deficiency.

Disclaimer: All results must be clinically correlated with the patient’s complaints to make a complete and accurate diagnosis. The above information is provided from a purely educational point of view and is in no way a substitute for medical advice by a qualified doctor.