Amylase

What the laboratory says this test is for

Amylase is produced primarily in the pancreas and salivary glands. Isoenzymes may be used to determine the source of an elevated amylase concentration. Macroamylase is a laboratory and not a clinical entity. Amylase can complex with immunoglobulins or other high molecular weight proteins and serum amylase will appear falsely elevated. No clinical symptoms are associated with macroamylasemia.

What the laboratory says this test is for

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.

What the laboratory says this test is for

Amylase measurements are used primarily for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatitis. The elevation of a-amylase activity in serum, however, is not specifically indicative of a pancreatic disorder since the enzyme is also produced by the salivary glands and other organs. Clinical evaluations of patients with acute pancreatitis have shown that pancreatic isoamylase has a greater sensitivity than total amylase.