At a glance
| Analyte | Alpha-amylase |
|---|---|
| Also called | A-AMY, Alpha amylase, Serum amylase |
| Method | Kinetic colorimetric |
| Sample type | Serum, Plasma, Urine |
| Panel | Pancreatitis |
| Discipline | Clinical chemistry |
| Brand | Mindray |
What Amylase measures
Amylase digests starch and is produced by the pancreas and the salivary glands. In acute pancreatitis it rises within hours of the onset of pain, which is what makes it a first-line test, but it also falls back toward normal within a few days, so a patient presenting late in the illness can have a normal amylase despite significant ongoing pancreatitis. Its salivary origin is the other limitation: parotitis and some abdominal conditions unrelated to the pancreas will raise it. Those two constraints together are why laboratories increasingly report lipase alongside it, since lipase stays elevated longer and is more specific to the pancreas.
How Philippine laboratories run it
Requested urgently from emergency departments in suspected pancreatitis, which makes it a stat assay rather than a routine one in hospital laboratories, with demand that is unpredictable day to day but reasonably stable across a month. Many Philippine laboratories offer amylase alone and add lipase only on request, so the two reagents are often out of step in stock terms even though they answer the same clinical question. Laboratories with an emergency workload should hold cover for out-of-hours testing rather than sizing from routine throughput.
Analyzers it runs on
Calibrator, controls and companion tests
Delivered with its calibrator, both control levels and the rest of the pancreatitis panel, on the same schedule as Amylase.
Storage and handling
Refrigerated and kept closed when off the analyzer.
Buying Amylase in the Philippines
Amylase is supplied for the BS-600M, BS-430, BS-360E, BS-240Pro, BS-230 and BA-88A. We deliver it with Multi-Sera Calibrator and Chemistry Control Level 1, because a run held up waiting on a separate order costs the same shift a stock-out does. Delivery is scheduled against your monthly Amylase count, so the bench is not rationing tests in the last week of the month. How we plan clinical chemistry supply.
Questions about Amylase
Can amylase be normal in acute pancreatitis?
Yes, and this is a well-recognised pitfall. Amylase rises early and falls back within a few days, so a patient who presents late in the illness may have a normal result while pancreatitis is still active. It can also be normal in some presentations from the outset. This is the main reason laboratories report lipase alongside it, since lipase stays raised for longer.
Order Amylase
Tell us your monthly Amylase volume and we will quote a supply schedule for BS-600M. We reply within one business day.
Request a quotation