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Liver

Amylase and lipase: which test for pancreatitis

According to the NVKC, amylase helps digest sugars from food; it is an enzyme, a protein that accelerates a chemical conversion in the body. A Cochrane review distinguishes two major forms of the enzyme, pancreatic amylase and salivary amylase, each named after the gland it comes from.

In acute pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas, the amount of amylase in the blood can rise sharply, according to the NVKC. According to the same source, lowered values in both blood and urine may indicate damage to the cells in the pancreas that produce amylase. Only a blood test can establish how high or low the amylase is.

Unilabs uses 0 to 107 U/l (units per litre) for all ages. Lipase is more sensitive and specific than amylase for acute pancreatitis according to a US review, in part because the salivary glands also make amylase.

Doctor's Assessment Included

Amylase is a digestive enzyme from the pancreas and the salivary glands. For adults up to 50, the upper limit at the laboratories lies between 107 and 119 U/l.

  • In acute pancreatitis the value can reach four to six times normal within 12 hours.
  • A raised value does not always point to the pancreas: reduced kidney function and macroamylase raise it too.
  • Diagnostiek voor U does not measure amylase; a request is converted to lipase there.

Reference Ranges

See the value that applies to you:

Choose male or female — this range differs by sex.

Enter your age — this range changes with age.

This range also depends on context such as cycle phase or sample material; the highlighted rows apply to your group.

Your reference range
u/l
27 141 u/l
Reference ranges by group, in u/l
6–12 years 30–128 u/l
30 128
13–18 years 28–120 u/l
28 120
19–50 years 28–119 u/l
28 119
51–65 years 27–134 u/l
27 134
66–80 years 27–141 u/l
27 141
81 years and older 27–139 u/l
27 139
27 141 u/l

Source: NVKC Reference population: Dutch general-practice population (NUMBER, n = 7,574,327)

Reference ranges may vary between laboratories. When you order a test, a BIG-registered doctor assesses your personal results in context. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.

Check your own value

Amylase: what Dutch laboratories use

The upper limit runs from 107 u/l at Unilabs to 119 u/l at Star-shl.

Reference ranges by group, in u/l
Star-shl · Everyone · 19–50 years 28–119 U/l
28 119
Star-shl · Everyone · 51–65 years 27–134 U/l
27 134
Star-shl · Everyone · 66–80 years 27–141 U/l
27 141
Star-shl · Everyone · 81 years and older 27–139 U/l
27 139
Unilabs · Everyone 0–107 U/l
0 107
Certe · Everyone · 18 years and older · a limit, not a range < 107 U/L
107
0 155.1 u/l

Source: Star-shl

Source: Unilabs

Source: Certe

Each value as the laboratory itself publishes it, retrieved in 2026.

Amylase: what this test measures

In units per litre (U/l), the amylase measurement reflects the enzyme activity in the blood. Unilabs measures in plasma with heparin, a substance that prevents clotting, and Star-SHL measures photometrically, with the help of light, in serum, the fluid of clotted blood.

Amylase: why this value matters

Amylase is one of the blood tests used to diagnose acute pancreatitis, but according to a Cochrane review the blood and urine tests for it have limits. According to that review, the tests studied, blood tests for amylase and lipase and urine tests for trypsinogen and amylase, miss about a quarter of people with acute pancreatitis. Because of those missed cases, that review advises a low threshold for admitting and treating a person whose symptoms suggest acute pancreatitis, even if these tests are normal. According to the same review, about 1 in 10 patients without acute pancreatitis may also be wrongly diagnosed with it by these tests.

According to a 2017 review in the journal Clinical Biochemistry, lipase offers a higher sensitivity than amylase in diagnosing acute pancreatitis and stays raised longer. For diagnosing acute pancreatitis, several guidelines recommend lipase over amylase, according to that 2017 review.

Amylase: how the blood test works

Referral
No GP referral needed. After the order we arrange the referral through ZorgDomein, within one business day; orders after 17:00 or at the weekend start on the next business day. ZorgDomein emails a barcode, and that barcode is what the draw site needs.
The draw
A blood draw from a vein in the arm, at a partner laboratory's draw site. No home kit, no finger prick.
Which test
on its own €16,-
Where
650+ draw sites run by independent laboratories across the Netherlands. Draw sites

Amylase: when is testing worthwhile?

When an inflammation or another condition of the pancreas is suspected, amylase is measured, according to the NVKC, the Dutch society for clinical chemistry. For acute pancreatitis, several recent guidelines prefer lipase over amylase, according to a 2017 review.

Amylase: symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

According to the NVKC, after an initial rise amylase falls gradually in chronic pancreatitis, as the damage to the cells that make the enzyme continues.

High Levels

According to a Cochrane review, an amylase level at three or more times the upper limit usually counts towards the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. If a strongly raised amylase comes with sudden, severe pain in the upper abdomen, contact a doctor immediately.

Amylase: causes of a low or high value

What lowers the value

  • Chronic pancreatitis

    When damage to the pancreas persists, amylase falls gradually after an initial rise.

  • Long-term heavy drinking

    Alcohol can lead to chronic pancreatitis, with falling amylase as a result.

  • Cystic fibrosis

    This inherited condition can cause chronic pancreatitis and so lower amylase.

What raises the value

  • Acute pancreatitis

    Within 12 hours amylase can rise to four to six times the normal level, and after successful treatment it falls within a few days.

  • Gallstones

    Gallstones can raise amylase in the blood.

  • Pancreatic cancer

    Amylase can also be raised in cancer of the pancreas.

  • Reduced kidney function

    Part of the amylase leaves the body through the kidneys, so when they work less well more of it stays in the blood.

  • Macroamylase

    Amylase bound to other proteins is poorly cleared by the kidneys; this is harmless and causes no symptoms.

Amylase: lifestyle and this value

With abdominal symptoms that can point to the pancreas, ask about lipase too, because according to a review that enzyme stays raised longer than amylase in acute pancreatitis.

Amylase: frequently asked questions

How high is amylase in acute pancreatitis?

In acute pancreatitis, amylase can be four to six times higher than normal within 12 hours of the damage, according to the NVKC. After successful treatment, the value falls back to normal within a few days, according to the NVKC.

What is the normal amylase value?

At Unilabs the normal amylase value is 0 to 107 U/l whatever the age, and at Certe the upper limit from age 18 is 107 U/l. Star-SHL uses 28 to 119 U/l for adults aged 19 to 50 inclusive and 27 to 134 U/l for those aged 51 to 65 inclusive. For those aged 66 to 80 inclusive Star-SHL uses 27 to 141 U/l, and above age 80 it uses 27 to 139 U/l.

Amylase: sources

  1. den Elzen WPJ, Brouwer N, Thelen MH, Le Cessie S, Haagen I-A, Cobbaert CM. NUMBER: standardized reference intervals in the Netherlands using a 'big data' approach. Clin Chem Lab Med 2018;57(1):42-56. (retrieved 2026) doi.org
  2. Star-shl, Labbepalingen (referentiewaarden per bepaling), star-shl.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) star-shl.nl
  3. Unilabs, Bepalingenklapper (referentiewaarden per bepaling), bepalingenklapper.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) bepalingenklapper.nl
  4. Certe, Bepalingenwijzer (referentiewaarden per bepaling), bepalingenwijzer.certe.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) bepalingenwijzer.certe.nl
  5. NVKC, Alles over testen: Amylase, allesovertesten.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-03 (retrieved 2026) allesovertesten.nl

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Amylase

€16,-