Amylase

Amylase is an enzyme produced by the pancreas and salivary glands. It plays a key role in aiding in the digestion of carbohydrates. Amylase is released into the bloodstream when the pancreas becomes inflamed or diseased.If there is occurence of gallstones, pancreatitis, or tumors of the pancreas there is more release of amylase into the blood. Pancreatic diseases often cause symptoms like nausea, loss of appetite, fever and back or stomach pain.

This blood test is used to help diagnosis pancreas-related issues, such as acute pancreatitis, acute gastrointestinal perforation, and bowel infarction.The major sources of amylase are the pancreas and the salivary glands. The most common cause of elevation of serum amylase is inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). In acute pancreatitis, serum amylase begins to rise within 6-24 hours, remains elevated for a few days and returns to normal in 3-7 days. Other causes of elevated serum amylase are inflammation of salivary glands (mumps), biliary tract disease and bowel obstruction. Elevated serum amylase can also be seen with drugs (e.g., morphine) which constrict the pancreatic duct sphincter preventing excretion of amylase into the intestine.

The amylase test is also used to check on people with cystic fibrosis which causes lung infections. It makes hard for your body to absorb nutrients from food. If you have cystic fibrosis, high amylase levels mean that you have thick mucus plugs that are blocking digestive enzymes from moving from your pancreas to your small intestine.

If amylase level is low, it could mean your pancreas isn’t making enough of the protein. This may be due to Chronic (ongoing) pancreatitis,Cystic fibrosis or Liver failure.High levels may be due to Acute pancreatitis (sudden),Poor kidney function,Infection,Cancer of the pancreas, lung, breast, colon, or ovary,Swollen salivary glands,Mumps,Drug use or Appendicitis.In a healthy individual, a normal blood amylase level is around 23-85 units per liter (U/L), although some lab ranges for normal amylase go up to 140 U/L.

Certain medicines such as aspirin, medicines that contain estrogen, and pain relievers like morphine may affect your test results. Alcohol use can also affect your results. Pregnancy and having had a recent kidney transplant can also affect your result in determining the amount of amylase in blood.