What is amylase?

Amylase is an enzyme, a type of protein that helps your body break down carbohydrates. The pancreas and salivary glands in your mouth make amylase.

Amylase is an enzyme that breaks carbohydrates (starch etc.) down into glucose. It facilitates glucose uptake from the blood. It is secreted with saliva into oral cavity, where it begins to break starch down, or with pancreatic juice into duodenum. Acid gastric juice inactivates amylase. The experiments have shown that after 80 g glucose was administered, amylase administration ensured that blood sugar indices remained normal. 86% of patients with diabetes have a small amount of amylase in their intestinal secretion. Being an enzyme produced by pancreas, amylase level in the blood and urine rises sharply, in the progress of pancreatitis.

There’s normally a small amount of amylase in your blood and urine. But levels that are too high can indicate a health problem.

When is an amylase test performed?

A healthcare provider might recommend an amylase test to diagnose or monitor:

Problem with your pancreas, such as pancreatitis, gallstones or pancreatic cancer.

Alcohol use disorder (alcoholism).

Cystic fibrosis.

Eating disorders.

Infection.

What is the normal range for an amylase test?

The normal range for amylase may differ from lab to lab. In a blood sample, the range is about 30 to 110 U/L (units per liter). In a urine sample, the range is 2.6 to 21.2 international units per hour (IU/h).

Elevated amylase levels may manifest in various conditions, including pancreatic, salivary, and intestinal diseases, as well as decreased metabolic clearance and macroamylasemia.[4] Approximately 11% to 13% of patients experiencing non-pancreatic abdominal pain exhibit elevated pancreatic enzyme levels.[5] On at least one occasion, 60% of asymptomatic HIV-positive patients displayed abnormal amylase or lipase measurements.[6] Upon admission, 26 out of 208 patients (12.5%) with acute abdominal pain unrelated to pancreatic issues presented with elevated serum amylase levels.[5]

Abnormally elevated amylase levels are observed in 35% of patients with liver disease.[7] Furthermore, elevated amylase levels are found in around 16% to 25% of diabetic ketoacidosis cases.[8][9] In a group of 74 patients with surgically resectable lung cancer, 13 showed hyperamylasemia.[10]

What does it mean if your amylase is high or low?

If your amylase level is abnormal, it might mean you have a health condition. Your healthcare provider will discuss the results with you and what they mean. They will also consider other factors, such as current symptoms, health history and additional test results.

If your amylase level is high, it might indicate a problem in your pancreas. A low amylase level may suggest a pancreas, liver or kidney problem, or cystic fibrosis.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/22386-amylase-test

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557738/