What is pancreas amylase?
Amylase is a digestive enzyme predominantly made by your pancreas and salivary glands that helps your body break down carbohydrates. It is made in the pancreas and the glands that make saliva. When the pancreas is diseased or inflamed, it releases increased amounts of amylase into the blood. A test can be done to measure the level of this digestive enzyme in your blood. It can be normal to have some amylase in your blood and urine. Having too much or too little may be a sign of problems with the pancreas or salivary glands or another condition.
Why test pancreas amylase?
Symptoms
If you have any symptoms related to low, or high pancreas amylase.
Which lifestyle factors can cause low pancreas amylase?
Low serum amylase has been reported in certain common cardiometabolic conditions such as obesity, diabetes (regardless of type), metabolic syndrome, and other conditions related to insulin resistance.
What causes a high pancreas amylase?
High serum amylase has been observed in individuals who exercise regularly, and in high-performance long-distance runners. Both smoking and fitness have a substantial impact on insulin action, so these results may be explained from the view of insulin sensitivity
More information
There are many other reasons for low pancreas amylase, but we do not aim to diagnose or test for any health disorders. If your doctor suspects you have pancreatitis, he or she may order a blood lipase test, along with an amylase blood test. Lipase is another enzyme that the pancreas produces. Lipase tests are considered to be more accurate for diagnosing pancreatitis, especially when pancreatitis is caused by heavy drinking.
Instructions
Do not drink alcohol for 24 hours before having an amylase blood or urine test. If you are having a blood test, you should fast (not eat or drink) for two hours before the test.
On the day of the test
Remember to take your ID with you when going to take a test.