α-Amylase

serum or EDTA plasma or heparin plasma 0.5 ml

photometry

1 day

• Enzyme is elevated in acute phase of pancreatitis for 3-5 days. Slight elevations also occur due to diseases of other organs and in case of renal dysfunction. As the enzyme is also produced in liver and small intestine, it is not pancreas specific. Therefore, it is suitable only in limits to diagnose pancreatitis.
• In order to confirm the diagnosis of pancreatitis, determination of pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (PLI) is recommended.