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Liver

High amylase: pancreatitis, gallstones and alcohol

Amylase is a protein from the pancreas and the salivary glands that, according to the NVKC, helps digest sugars from food. Because it speeds up a conversion in the body, such a protein is called an enzyme.

According to a Cochrane review, in acute pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) amylase usually goes up within 6 to 24 hours and reaches its highest value at 48 hours. After successful treatment of the inflammation, the NVKC says amylase returns to normal within a few days. In chronic pancreatitis, the amylase value can gradually decrease after a first rise, according to the NVKC. A blood test is the only way to know whether the value deviates.

Certe uses an upper limit of 107 U/l (units per litre) for adults from age 18. A Cochrane review names gallstones and alcohol as the two chief causes of acute pancreatitis.

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

The amylase test gives the activity of the enzyme in the blood in units per litre (U/l), and according to its own listing Certe runs the test itself.

Amylase: why this value matters

Acute pancreatitis is, according to the NVKC, the Dutch society for clinical chemistry, a possible explanation for a strongly raised amylase. According to a US review, using the Atlanta criteria that diagnosis is made with two of three findings. Those three are fitting abdominal pain, amylase or lipase levels of at least three times the normal level, and abnormalities on imaging.

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.
Where
650+ draw sites run by independent laboratories across the Netherlands. Draw sites

Amylase: when is testing worthwhile?

With abdominal pain that may come from the pancreas, an amylase test helps establish, according to the NVKC, whether an inflammation or another condition is present there. In recurrent alcohol-related pancreatitis, amylase can come out normal according to a US review, so a normal result does not rule out such an inflammation.

Amylase: symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

Amylase can fall over time in chronic pancreatitis, which according to the NVKC can arise from causes including long-term heavy drinking.

High Levels

In acute pancreatitis, which a raised amylase can point to, pain in the upper abdomen often goes together with nausea and vomiting, according to a US review. With a raised amylase and severe upper-abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting, contact a doctor immediately. According to that review, fever, low blood pressure and a fast heart rate can also occur in such an inflammation.

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

Have a raised amylase assessed by a doctor, because according to the NVKC a slight rise can fit many conditions in the upper abdomen.

Amylase: frequently asked questions

How high can amylase be in a man?

At Certe, Unilabs and Star-SHL, amylase has no separate limit for men. Certe sets the upper limit at 107 U/l for adults from age 18, and Unilabs uses 107 U/l for all ages. Star-SHL sets 119 U/l as the upper limit for those aged 19 to 50 inclusive and 134 U/l for those aged 51 to 65 inclusive. In those aged 66 to 80 inclusive the Star-SHL limit is 141 U/l, and above 80 it is 139 U/l.

Does alcohol raise amylase?

Alcohol can raise amylase through acute pancreatitis: according to a Cochrane review, alcohol is one of the two chief causes of it. In recurrent alcohol-related pancreatitis, amylase can also be normal, according to a US review.

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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