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Interleukin 6, Serum

Test Codes

EPIC: LAB6292, Beaker: XINT6, Mayo: IL6DX

Department

Send Outs

Specimen Collection Criteria

Collect: One Gold-top SST

Physician Office/Draw Specimen Preparation

Let specimen clot 30-60 minutes then centrifuge to separate serum from cells within two hours of collection. Transfer serum to a plastic transport tube and freeze (-20°C/-4°F or below).

Preparation for Courier Transport

Transport: 1.0 mL serum. (Minimum: 0.5 mL)

Rejection Criteria

• Grossly hemolyzed specimen
• Grossly lipemic specimen
• Grossly icteric specimen
• Specimens not collected and processed as indicated. 

In-Lab Processing

Let specimen clot 30-60 minutes then centrifuge to separate serum from cells within two hours of collection. Transfer serum to a plastic transport tube and freeze (-20°C/-4°F or below).

Transport: 1.0 mL serum, frozen (-20°C/-4°F or below). (Minimum: 0.5 mL)

Storage

Specimen Stability for Testing:

Room Temperature (20-26°C or 68-78.8°F): 24 hours
Refrigerated (2-8°C or 36-46°F): 14 days
Frozen (-20°C/-4°F or below): 90 days

Specimen Storage in Department Prior to Disposal:

Specimen retention time is determined by the policy of the reference laboratory. Contact the Send Outs Laboratory with any questions.

Laboratory

Sent to Mayo Clinic Laboratories in Rochester, MN.

Performed

Monday – Saturday.
Results available in 1-3 days.

Reference Range

By report.

Test Methodology

Electrochemiluminescence.

Clinical Utility

IL-6, a multi-functional cytokine produced by a range of cells, plays a central role in host defense mechanisms, is involved in induction of B-cell differentiation, induction of IL-2 and IL-2 receptor expression and proliferation and differentiation of T cells. Elevated IL-6 concentrations are reported in a variety of autoimmune diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis), proliferative diseases (e.g., mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis), and malignancies (e.g., leukemia and lymphoma).

CPT Codes

83529

Contacts

Last Updated

10/5/2023