Amylase

What To Think About

• Pancreatitis usually causes levels of amylase in the urine to remain high for several days longer than blood amylase levels.
• Babies have little or no amylase at birth. By the end of the first year, a baby's amylase level is the same as an adult's level.
• Lipase is an enzyme produced only by the pancreas. A lipase test may be done at the same time as an amylase test when pancreatitis is suspected. To learn more, see the topic Lipase.
• Occasionally, a test that compares urine amylase with creatinine (a renal clearance ratio) may be done to help diagnose pancreatitis. To learn more, see the topic Creatinine.

Citations

1. 
   Fischbach FT, Dunning MB III, eds. (2009). Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests, 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
   

Other Works Consulted

• 
  Chernecky CC, Berger BJ (2008). Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures, 5th ed. St. Louis: Saunders.
  
• 
  Fischbach FT, Dunning MB III, eds. (2009). Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests, 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
  
• 
  Pagana KD, Pagana TJ (2010). Mosby’s Manual of Diagnostic and Laboratory Tests, 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby Elsevier.