Patient education: Amylase test (The Basics)

What is an amylase test? — This is a type of blood test. It measures the amount of a substance called "amylase" in the blood. Amylase is a type of protein called a "digestive enzyme." It helps the body break down carbohydrates (carbs) in the foods you eat.

Amylase is made in the pancreas (figure 1) and the salivary glands. (The salivary glands produce saliva, or spit.) If your amylase level is high, this might mean that you have a problem in 1 of these organs. But other things can affect your amylase level, too, including some medicines.

Amylase is sometimes measured along with another digestive enzyme called "lipase."

Why might I get an amylase test? — Your doctor might order this test if you have symptoms of acute pancreatitis. This is when the pancreas gets irritated or swollen. It can cause sudden, severe belly pain.

How do I prepare for an amylase test? — For this test, you need to get a "blood draw." Your doctor or nurse will tell you where to go for this.

It might help to wear a short-sleeve shirt to your blood draw appointment. This makes it easier for the person drawing your blood to get to your arm.

What happens during a blood draw? — For the blood draw, a needle is used to take a small amount of blood from your arm (figure 2). Collecting the blood only takes a few minutes. The blood is then tested in a lab.

Tell the person who takes your blood:

●If you take "blood thinner" medicines or if you have a bleeding problem – They will make sure that your bleeding is under control before you leave.

●If you have a latex allergy – Some of the supplies used for blood draws might contain latex.

●If you have a preferred arm to use

Most of the time, getting blood taken does not cause problems. You might have a little soreness or bruising where the needle went in.

What do my results mean? — Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to expect your results, and will contact you with the results. Or if you use an online "patient portal," you might get an alert there when your results are ready.

If your amylase test shows any abnormal results, your doctor or nurse will talk to you about what to do next. They might need to do more tests to figure out what the cause is.

If you do have a health problem, your doctor will work with you to come up with a plan for treatment.

More on this topic

Patient education: Acute pancreatitis (The Basics)
Patient education: Lipase test (The Basics)

Patient education: Acute pancreatitis (Beyond the Basics)