Update Type: Test Resumed
Test Updated: 02/22/2023
Test Overview
Test Methodology

Radioimmunoassay

Test Usage

The presence of insulin antibody indicates either long-term insulin injection or autoimmune insulin antibody. Insulin resistance, defined as a state in which the daily insulin requirement exceeds 200 units/day for more than two days, may be associated with elevated anti-insulin antibody titers and insulin-binding capacity. Elevated insulin-binding alone, however, is not pathognomonic of insulin resistance, a complex phenomenon which may be due to a number of different causes such as ketosis or hormone antagonism. Stable diabetics, who are characterized as requiring infrequent changes in insulin doses, may have significant circulating concentrations of high avidity antibodies, whereas 'unstable' diabetics, who require frequent changes in insulin dose, may have lower concentrations.

Reference Range *

< or = 0.02 nmol/L

* Reference ranges may change over time. Please refer to the original patient report when evaluating results.

Test Details
Days Set Up
Sunday, Wednesday
Analytic Time

3-10 days

Soft Order Code
INAB
MiChart Code
Insulin Antibody
Synonyms
  • Anti-insulin Antibodies
  • INSULIN ANTIBODIES, SERUM
  • BEEF
  • HUMAN
  • INAB-D
  • PORK
  • INSULIN ANTIBODIES, BEEF
  • INSULIN ANTIBODIES, HUMAN
  • INSULIN AB-D
  • INSULIN ANTIBODIES, PORK
Laboratory
Sendout
Reference Laboratory
Mayo INAB (8666)
Section
Special Testing
Specimen Requirements
Collection Instructions

Collect specimen in a red top or SST tube from a fasting patient. Centrifuge, aliquot serum into plastic vial and refrigerate. Grossly hemolyzed specimens are unacceptable.

Special Handling

Fasting specimen.

Normal Volume
1.5 mL serum
Minimum Volume
1 mL serum
Storage Temperature
Refrigerated preferred, frozen acceptable
Additional Information

Insulin antibodies occur in the serum of many insulin-treated diabetic patients and act as a insulin-transporting proteins, thereby preventing degradation of insulin. Formation of the antibody-antigen complex is a reversible process; insulin may dissociate from the complex and thus exert its physiologic action by binding to appropriate cell receptors. The most common type of anti-insulin antibody is IgG, but it has now been found in five classes of immunoglobulins in insulin-treated patients. These immunoglobulins may be responsible for allergic manifestations (especially IgE) and for insulin resistance (especially IgM). Test sent to Mayo Medical Laboratories.

Billing
CPT Code
86337
Fee Code
30959
LOINC
Z203-0