Amylase levels in the blood are often elevated in patients with acute pancreatitis, but other conditions can also cause increases. Amylase is an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates and is mostly made by the pancreas. In chronic pancreatitis, amylase levels can be low due to loss of pancreatic function.
The connection between amylase and pancreatitis is that the concentration of amylase in the blood is often elevated in patients with acute pancreatitis, a condition characterized by inflammation and swelling of the pancreas. Finding an elevated amylase level can therefore help narrow down the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Other conditions, however, can also cause increases in amylase levels, so this blood test isn’t foolproof. The connection between pancreatitis and amylase in chronic pancreatitis is different than in acute pancreatitis because the loss of pancreatic function seen in chronic pancreatitis can lead to a decrease in blood amylase levels.
To fully understand the link between pancreatitis and amylase, it helps to understand what amylase is. In short, it is an enzyme, or a substance that helps facilitate the chemical reaction, which breaks down carbohydrates into their component parts. Most of the body’s amylase is made by the pancreas, an organ that secretes a number of different substances that help the body digest food. With pancreatitis, a condition in which the pancreas is damaged by inflammation, amylase stored in the pancreas is released into the blood.
Normally, the concentration of amylase in the blood ranges from 20 to 110 units per liter. Patients with pancreatitis typically have levels two to three times the upper limit of normal. Elevated amylase levels are found in 70-95% of patients with acute pancreatitis. When the inflammation of the pancreas resolves, the amylase level returns to normal.
While there is a link between acute pancreatitis and amylase elevations, other medical conditions can also cause blood amylase levels to rise. The salivary glands also produce amylase, so infection or inflammation of these glands can cause amylase elevations. Women who have suffered an aborted ectopic pregnancy can often have marked elevations in amylase levels. Taking certain medications, such as azathioprine and hydrochlorothiazide, can increase blood amylase concentrations. Damage to the intestinal tract, due to lack of blood flow or obstruction, can also increase the measured amount of this chemical.
In patients with chronic pancreatitis, the link between pancreatitis and amylase is reversed. These patients often have low levels of amylase in their blood. This occurs because these patients have a loss of their pancreatic function because chronic inflammation destroys the cells of this organ. Since amylase is one of the chemicals produced by the pancreas, patients with poor pancreatic function produce small amounts of this substance.
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