Amylase Test

What is an Amylase test?

Amylase is a specific type of protein that helps in digesting carbohydrates. Amylase is produced by the salivary glands and the pancreas. A certain amount of amylase always remains in the urine and blood, which is normal. However, an abnormally low or high amount of amylase can be a primary sign of pancreatic disorder, the disorder of salivary gland or any such other health condition. There comes the necessity of an amylase test. The main purpose of performing an amylase test is to measure the amount of amylase in your urine or blood.

Amylase test can be considered as the most effective way of diagnosing pancreatic issues like pancreatitis. The inflammation of the pancreas is known as pancreatitis. Monitoring chronic pancreatitis is also one of the major purposes of performing this particular test. Certain digestive disorders can also affect the amylase levels. Both the amylase blood test and amylase urine test can be performed for monitoring treatments as well as the disorders that can affect the amylase levels in the body.

There are certain diseases that can be detected through an amylase test. Some of those diseases may include

• Pancreatic cancer
• Chronic pancreatitis
• Cystic fibrosis
• Eating disorder
• Alcohol use disorder

Which conditions may affect the amylase conditions in the body?

Lung cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer etc are the common health conditions that may affect the amylase level. However, the other conditions that may affect the amylase levels may include

• Pancreatic cysts
• Kidney issues
• Gallbladder attacks
• Appendicitis
• Gastrointestinal issues
• Pregnancy
• Eating disorders
• Diabetic ketoacidosis
• Mumps

Why do you need an amylase test?

You need to go for this important test to get the presence of certain types of diseases detected in your body that may turn serious and make you face several health conditions. Some of those diseases may include

• Pancreatic pseudocyst
• Pancreatic abscess
• Pancreatic cancer

When to go for the test?

When the primary signs and symptoms of a pancreatic disorder start to get visible in your body, then the doctors may suggest you to go for this test. Some of those symptoms may include

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Pain in the upper abdomen
• Fast heartbeat
• Bad-smelling poop
• Fever
• Yellowing of skin and eyes

Test preparations

10-12 hours of fasting can be needed before appearing for this test. You can also be instructed to stay away from alcohol consumption for at least 24 hours before appearing for this test. However, this is always the best decision to have a brief discussion with the medical experts to know if there are other instructions to be followed before appearing for an amylase test. Knowingly, an amylase test price is really reasonable these days.

There are certain kinds of medications that may impact the test report accuracy and this is the reason why it is necessary to inform the medical experts if you are already on any of the below mentioned medications.

• Birth control pills
• Aspirin
• Asparaginase
• Methyldopa
• Ethacrynic acid
• Opiates
• Cholinergic medications
• Thiazide diuretics

Sample requirements

A certain amount of blood will be fetched from your vein using a syringe by a medical expert, on which the amylase blood test will be performed. You can be asked to bring the urine sample by yourself to the lab, on which the amylase urine test will be performed. The pathologists will be providing complete instructions about how you should collect and bring the urine samples.

What are the risks associated with the test?

It’s natural to feel a bit of bruising or pain at the particular area from where the blood sample has been collected. However, such kinds of pain are temporary and usually go away with time but it’s necessary to inform the doctors if you feel any serious discomfort after the blood collection process is done. There are no risks associated with the urine sample collection process. You can now easily check the amylase test cost online from anywhere.

Result interpretation

If the test result indicates the presence of high levels of amylase in your urine or blood, then it can be a sign of a blockage in the duct, acute pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer or benign tumor. On the other hand, if low levels of amylase has been detected in your urine or blood sample, then it can be the symptom of chronic pancreatitis, kidney disease, liver disease, cystic fibrosis or preeclampsia. You can get the test done easily as it’s now easier to find the facilities of an amylase test near me.

What are the possible causes of high and low levels of amylase?

The causes of high amylase levels in your body may include,

• Cholecystitis: Cholecystitis is known as the inflammation of the gallbladder. Gallstones are considered to be the main reason behind this medical condition. Sometimes, tumors may also cause cholecystitis.
• Chronic or acute pancreatitis: There are certain types of enzymes that help to break down the food in the intestines. When those enzymes start to break down the tissues of the pancreas then chronic or acute pancreatitis takes place.
• Macroamylasemia: When macroamylase is present in the blood then macroamylasemia takes place.
• Perforated ulcers or Peptic ulcers: peptic ulcer is a dangerous health condition in which inflammation takes place in the linings of intestine or stomach. When the ulcer spreads everywhere through the tissues of intestines or stomach, then it is called perforated ulcer, which is considered as a medical emergency.
• Gastroenteritis: Gastroenteritis is mainly caused by bacteria. The inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract is called gastroenteritis. Abdominal cramp, vomiting, diarrhea etc are known as some of the most mentionable symptoms of this disease.
• Ectopic or tubal pregnancy: When an embryo or fertilized egg gets in one of the fallopian tubes instead of the uterus then tubal pregnancy occurs.

Apart from all these, salivary gland infection, intestinal blockage, ovarian cancer, intestinal obstruction, lung cancer etc can also be the reason for high amylase levels. It is necessary to get in touch with a reliable medical expert immediately soon after any kind of abnormalities has been detected in the test report so that necessary medical actions can be taken at the right time.

There are certain causes of low amylase too. Kidney disease is known as one of the most mentionable causes of low amylase in the body. However, kidney disease may also be the reason for diabetes. Apart from that, preeclampsia is a major cause of low amylase in the body, which is known as a specific type of medical condition when someone is pregnant or postpartum and is also having high blood pressure. Besides, cystic fibrosis and liver disease can also cause low amylase in the body.