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Inflammation

SAA (serum amyloid A): sustained high values and the risk of AA amyloidosis

According to Leeds Teaching Hospitals (NHS), serum amyloid A (SAA) is a protein that is the precursor of amyloid A fibres, which are found in amyloidosis, and liver cells release SAA in the acute phase of inflammation.

Up to 10% of people with sustained high SAA values may, according to Leeds, eventually develop AA amyloidosis. The SAA value can only be established with a blood test.

For SAA, Unilabs uses a limit of below 4 mg/l.

Doctor's Assessment Included

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a protein that liver cells release in the acute phase of inflammation, and the precursor of the amyloid A fibres in amyloidosis. According to Leeds Teaching Hospitals, SAA rises greatly in many inflammatory diseases.

  • Unilabs uses a limit of below 4 mg/l for SAA.
  • According to Leeds, up to 10% of people with sustained high SAA values may eventually develop AA amyloidosis.
  • According to a 2019 review, SAA tests are usually used together with other biomarkers.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): what Dutch laboratories use

There is no nationally agreed reference value; this is what individual laboratories publish.

Reference ranges by group, in mg/l
Unilabs · Everyone · a limit, not a range < 4 mg/l
4
0 4.4 mg/l

Source: Unilabs

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

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): what this test measures

An SAA test determines the concentration of serum amyloid A, in mg/l at Unilabs and Leeds, but according to Leeds the level of SAA does not predict whether amyloid A fibres form.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): why this value matters

SAA matters because according to Leeds the test is intended for people at risk of amyloidosis, such as with inherited fever syndromes.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): 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

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): when is testing worthwhile?

According to Leeds, an SAA test is considered with a risk of amyloidosis, and according to Leeds the result is read together with kidney function and other acute-phase proteins.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

An SAA under the Unilabs 4 mg/l falls within the limit, and the sources read give no cause for a low value.

High Levels

According to Leeds, a high SAA occurs in many inflammatory diseases, and with sustained high values up to 10% of people may eventually develop AA amyloidosis according to Leeds.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): causes of a low or high value

What raises the value

  • Inflammatory diseases, for example rheumatoid arthritis

    The amount of SAA in the blood rises greatly in many inflammatory diseases, for example rheumatoid arthritis.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): lifestyle and this value

Take a high SAA to your GP; Leeds advises assessing the result together with kidney function and other acute-phase proteins.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): frequently asked questions

What is the link between SAA and amyloidosis?

According to Leeds, SAA is the precursor of the amyloid A fibres found in amyloidosis, but according to Leeds the level of SAA does not predict whether those fibres form.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): sources

  1. Unilabs, Bepalingenklapper (referentiewaarden per bepaling), bepalingenklapper.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) bepalingenklapper.nl
  2. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Pathology, Amyloid A Protein (SAA), leedsth.nhs.uk, geraadpleegd 2026-10-16 (retrieved 2026) leedsth.nhs.uk

Tests with related values

These panels measure values from the same category as this marker.

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HbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin) ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) Triglycerides Creatinine Glucose (Fasting) Free T4 (Thyroxine) LDL Cholesterol SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) Total Cholesterol Vitamin D (25-OH) Free Testosterone Total Testosterone Ferritin hs-CRP (High Sensitivity CRP) HDL Cholesterol eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate) Cholesterol/HDL Ratio Non-HDL Cholesterol LDL/HDL Ratio
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HbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin) PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) Triglycerides Creatinine Free T4 (Thyroxine) LDL Cholesterol SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) Total Cholesterol Vitamin D (25-OH) Free Testosterone Total Testosterone hs-CRP (High Sensitivity CRP) HDL Cholesterol eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate) Cholesterol/HDL Ratio Non-HDL Cholesterol LDL/HDL Ratio
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SAA (Serum Amyloid A)

€49,-