Amylase
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- Also Known As:
- Amy

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At a Glance
Why Get Tested?
Primarily to diagnose and monitor acute pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas; also sometimes to diagnose and monitor chronic pancreatitis or other pancreatic diseases
When To Get Tested?
When you have symptoms of a pancreatic disorder, such as severe abdominal pain, fever, loss of appetite, or nausea
Sample Required?
A blood sample is obtained by inserting a needle into a vein in the arm. Sometimes a random urine sample, a 24-hour urine sample, or peritoneal fluid is collected.
Test Preparation Needed?
For both a blood test and a urine sample, you should avoid alcohol for 24 hours before the test and for the blood test, you may be instructed not eat or drink anything other than water for two hours before blood is drawn. Certain medications can affect amylase levels, so discuss medications with your doctor before testing is done.
You may be able to find your test results on your laboratory’s website or patient portal. However, you are currently at Testing.com. You may have been directed here by your lab’s website in order to provide you with background information about the test(s) you had performed. You will need to return to your lab’s website or portal, or contact your healthcare practitioner in order to obtain your test results.
Testing.com is an award-winning patient education website offering information on laboratory tests. The content on the site, which has been reviewed by laboratory scientists and other medical professionals, provides general explanations of what results might mean for each test listed on the site, such as what a high or low value might suggest to your healthcare practitioner about your health or medical condition.
The reference ranges for your tests can be found on your laboratory report. They are typically found to the right of your results.
If you do not have your lab report, consult your healthcare provider or the laboratory that performed the test(s) to obtain the reference range.
Laboratory test results are not meaningful by themselves. Their meaning comes from comparison to reference ranges. Reference ranges are the values expected for a healthy person. They are sometimes called “normal” values. By comparing your test results with reference values, you and your healthcare provider can see if any of your test results fall outside the range of expected values. Values that are outside expected ranges can provide clues to help identify possible conditions or diseases.
While accuracy of laboratory testing has significantly evolved over the past few decades, some lab-to-lab variability can occur due to differences in testing equipment, chemical reagents, and techniques. This is a reason why so few reference ranges are provided on this site. It is important to know that you must use the range supplied by the laboratory that performed your test to evaluate whether your results are “within normal limits.”
For more information, please read the article Reference Ranges and What They Mean.
What is being tested?
Amylase is an enzyme produced primarily by the pancreas and the salivary glands to help digest carbohydrates. This test measures the amount of amylase in the blood or urine or sometimes in peritoneal fluid, which is fluid found between the membranes that cover the abdominal cavity and the outside of abdominal organs.
The pancreas is a narrow, flat organ about six inches long located deep within the abdominal cavity, below the liver and between the stomach and the spine. Its head section connects to the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. Inside the pancreas, small ducts (tubes) feed digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas into the pancreatic duct. The pancreas releases amylase through the pancreatic duct into the first part of the small intestine, where it helps break down dietary carbohydrates.
Amylase is usually present in the blood and urine in small quantities. When cells in the pancreas are injured, increased amounts of amylase are released into the blood. This also increases concentrations of amylase in the urine because amylase is eliminated from the blood through the urine. Increased amylase levels can occur with pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas, or when the pancreatic duct is blocked by a gallstone or, in rare cases, with a pancreatic tumor.
Common Questions
View Sources
Sources Used in Current Review
(December 10, 2014) Amylase. Medscape. Available online at https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2054386-overview. Accessed on 6/12/18.
(February 13, 2017) Amylase Test. UCSF Health. Available online at https://www.ucsfhealth.org/tests/003464.html. Accessed 6/12/18.
Pancreatitis. Mayo Clinic. Available online at https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pancreatitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20360227. Accessed on 6/12/18.
(May 26, 2018) Amylase Test. DoveMed. Available online at https://www.dovemed.com/common-procedures/procedures-laboratory/amylase-test. Accessed 6/12/18.
(August 3, 2015) Blood Tests for Acute Pancreatitis. Australian Prescriber. Available online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4653980. Accessed on 6/12/18.
Sources Used in Previous Reviews
Pagana, Kathleen D. & Pagana, Timothy J. (© 2007). Mosby’s Diagnostic and Laboratory Test Reference 8th Edition: Mosby, Inc., Saint Louis, MO. Pp 60-62.
Thomas, Clayton L., Editor (1997). Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Company, Philadelphia, PA [18th Edition]. Pg 87.
Stone, C. (2005 February 14, Updated). Amylase Test. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003464.htm.
Kolatkar, N. (2005 May 17, Updated). Amylase – urine. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003607.htm.
(2004 February). Pancreatitis. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse [On-line information]. Available online at http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/pancreatitis/.
Dugdale, D. (Updated 2009 January 28). Amylase – blood. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003464.htm. Accessed May 2010.
Mathew, A. et. al. (Updated 2009 November 11). Hyperamylasemia. eMedicine [On-line information]. Available online at http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/186389-overview. Accessed May 2010.
Gardner, T. and Berk, B. (Updated 2009 December 29). Pancreatitis, Acute. eMedicine [On-line information]. Available online at http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/181364-overview. Accessed May 2010.
Obideen, K. and Wehbi, M. (Updated 2009 December 22). Pancreatitis, Chronic. eMedicine [On-line information]. Available online at http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/181554-overview. Accessed May 2010.
Khoury, G. and Deeba, S. (Updated 2009 January 26). Pancreatitis. eMedicine [On-line information]. Available online at http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/775867-overview. Accessed May 2010.
Lew, M. and Lewandrowski, K. (2010 March). Q&A. CAP Today [On-line information]. Available online through http://www.cap.org. Accessed May 2010.
Pagana, K. D. & Pagana, T. J. (© 2007). Mosby’s Diagnostic and Laboratory Test Reference 8th Edition: Mosby, Inc., Saint Louis, MO. Pp 60-62.
Clarke, W. and Dufour, D. R., Editors (© 2006). Contemporary Practice in Clinical Chemistry: AACC Press, Washington, DC. Pp 281-287.
Wu, A. (© 2006). Tietz Clinical Guide to Laboratory Tests, 4th Edition: Saunders Elsevier, St. Louis, MO. Pp 100-107.
Kasper DL, Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Hauser SL, Longo DL, Jameson JL eds, (2005). Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, 16th Edition, McGraw Hill Pp 1891-1898.
Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics. Burtis CA, Ashwood ER, Bruns DE, eds. St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders; 2006 Pg 616.
Test ID: RAMSU Amylase, Random, Urine. Mayo Clinic. Available online at http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/89879. Accessed April 2014.
Amylase – Blood. (Updated Feb. 4, 2011.) MedlinePlus. Available online at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003464.htm. Accessed April 2014.
Devaraj, Sridevi. (Updated Oct. 10, 2012.) Medscape. Available online at http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2054386-overview. Accessed April 2014.
Test ID: LPS Lipase, Serum. Mayo Clinic. Available online at http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/8328. Accessed April 2014.
Amylase/Creatinine Clearance Ratio Measurement. Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Available online at http://www.muschealth.com/lab/content.aspx?id=150324. Accessed April 2014.
Test ID: AMBF Amylase, Body Fluid. Mayo Clinic. Available online at http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/8371. Accessed April 2014.
Matull, W. R., et. al. (April 2006.) Biochemical Markers of Acute Pancreatitis. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Available online at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1860356/. Accessed April 2014.
Test: 8352 Amylase, Total, Serum. Mayo Clinic. Available online at http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/interpretive-guide/?alpha=A&unit_code=8352. Accessed April 2014.
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