High Amylase Levels: What It Is & What It Indicates

Posted on: Jun 4, 2025 | 3 mins | Written by: HDFC ERGO Team

High Amylase Levels: What It Is & What It Indicates

The amylase enzyme, produced by the pancreas and salivary glands, helps break down carbohydrates in food. Doctors measure amylase levels in blood or urine to assess its function. A high amylase level may indicate an underlying health condition, particularly pancreatic dysfunction.

How much is too much, and when does your doctor ask you to undergo this test? The following blog will explain more about the same.

What is Considered a High Amylase Level

A doctor may ask you to undergo an amylase test in the following cases:

• Prone to pancreatic disorders like pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer and gallstones

• Overconsumption of alcohol

• Prone to infections

• Diagnosed with eating disorders

• Cystic fibrosis condition

Amylase Test Levels and What Do They Indicate

The amylase level in your blood or urine can be done using different testing methods. Though the normal levels may vary slightly depending on the method used, your amylase levels are considered normal if the amylase in your blood is between 19 units per litre (U/L) and 86U/L. Some labs have the normal range of 30 to 110 U/L.

The normal range for amylase in the urine is fixed between 2.6 and 21.2 international units per hour (IU/h).

What is a high amylase level?

It is considered high when the quantity of amylase in your blood or urine goes above 200 U/L, or above 22 IU/h. For people with acute pancreatic disorders, the amylase levels can be around six times the upper range of the normal levels!

When you have abnormally high amylase levels, it can indicate one or more of the following conditions:

• Severe or long-term inflammation in the pancreas, causing acute or chronic pancreatitis

• Accumulation of fluid in the pancreas, causing pancreatic pseudocyst

• Pancreatic cancer

• Gallbladder inflammations, causing cholecystitis

• Cases of ectopic pregnancy (egg implantation happens outside the uterus)

• Mumps

• Blockages in the salivary glands and/or intestines

• Macroamylase formation in the blood

• Peptic ulcers

• Ovarian cancers

• Lung cancers

• Tumours in the salivary glands

• Gastroenteritis

• Kidney disorders

• Eating disorders

• Side effects of certain medications (birth control pills, corticosteroids, chemotherapy, blood pressure medicines, etc.)

Conclusion

When your doctor advises you to undergo an amylase test, you should do it immediately. Usually, doctors suspect certain disorders, which they want to confirm through this test. If your amylase levels turn out high in your tests, you will be diagnosed with severe pancreatic disorders. A high amylase level can also indicate other life-threatening complications. These tests, and the treatments for high amylase levels are costly. Consider planning for potential complications and exploring a health insurance policy to help manage the financial aspects of treatment.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to the policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

Pancreas Cancer: 5 Things You Need To Know

Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer, Risk Factors, and Diagnosis

What Are the Common Nutritional Problems in India?

All About Laparoscopy: Benefits, Risks, and Costs

Explore HDFC ERGO’s Critical Illness Plans: Silver, Gold, Platinum