Amylase Serum Test

Amylase is one of several enzymes produced by the pancreas to help digest proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Secreted through the pancreatic duct into the duodenum, it there helps break down dietary carbohydrates. Amylase is also produced by other organs, in particular the salivary glands. Amylase is usually present in small quantities in the blood and urine. When cells in the pancreas are injured (such as in pancreatitis) or the pancreatic duct is blocked (by a gallstone or rarely by a pancreatic tumor), increased amounts of amylase find their way into the bloodstream, increasing concentrations in the blood and the urine, which is the excretion path for amylase from the blood.