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More about Amylase Tests:
Definition Purpose Precautions Preparation Aftercare Normal results Abnormal results Resources |
Eight out of ten persons with acute pancreatitis will have high amylase levels, up to four times the normal level. Other causes of increased amylase, such as mumps, kidney failure, pregnancy occurring in the abdomen but outside the uterus (ectopic pregnancy), certain tumors, a penetrating ulcer, certain complications of diabetes, and advanced pancreatic cancer, are further investigated based on the person's symptoms, medical history, and the results of other tests.
In kidney disease, the kidneys are not as efficient at removing amylase from the blood. Amylase rises in the blood, but stays at normal levels in the urine.
People with macroamylasia have large clumps of amylase in their blood. These clumps are too large to move through the kidney, so they stay in the blood. Amylase levels in the blood will be high; levels in the urine will be low.
Amylase levels may be low in severe liver disease (including hepatitis), conditions in which the pancreas fails to secrete enough enzyme for proper digestions (pancreatic insufficiency), when toxic materials build up in the blood during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia), following burns, in thyroid disorders, and in advanced cystic fibrosis. Some medications can raise or lower levels.
— Nancy J. Nordenson
