Pancreatitis is a fairly common pathology. In order to be completely confident in the diagnosis and the need for specific therapy, doctors prescribe various studies. Laboratory tests for pancreatitis make it possible to determine the level of pancreatic damage along with the patient’s condition, the nature of the pathology and the complications of the disease. Thanks to this, it is possible to control the effectiveness of the prescribed treatment. Analyzes of fluids and biological media, for example, patients give feces, blood and urine.
What tests should be taken if you suspect pancreatitis?
As a rule, tests for pancreatitis are prescribed as follows:
- A study of a general clinical blood test.
- Blood donation for biochemical analysis.
- The study of feces.
- A urine test for amylase.
All of the above tests for pancreatitis are aimed at detecting inflammation, identifying the concentration and level of discarded pancreatic enzymes in the blood and urine. In addition, two main functions that can be violated to various degrees are determined: the production of enzymes for the breakdown of products and the production of hormones that are necessary for the metabolism of carbohydrates (insulin and glucagon).
Study of a general clinical blood test and interpretation of indicators
The following signs of inflammation are revealed in patients with a blood test for pancreatitis: an increase in the number of neutrophils and white blood cells along with an acceleration of ESR. With proper and effective therapy in a blood test, all important indicators quickly return to normal.
The latter, as a rule, is stabilized by ESR. Long-term preservation of an increased number of accelerated ESR and white blood cells may indicate complications. In patients who have long-term and severe chronic pancreatitis, on the contrary, there is a decrease in the total number of leukocytes along with a decrease in ESR due to the fact that there is a lack of nutrients (i.e. proteins, fats and carbohydrates) for cell synthesis.
The biochemical analysis for pancreatitis is very informative.
Signs of Anemia
Against the background of severe malabsorption of vitamins and useful ingredients, signs of iron deficiency anemia may be observed in the blood test, and in addition, there is a lack of folic acid and vitamin B12. The normal indicators of laboratory tests in each clinic and laboratory may differ slightly, since the devices with reagents for analysis are different, therefore, the final results should be compared only with the indicators of the norm of your medical institution.
What other tests for pancreatitis are given?
Amylase in urine analysis: normal and abnormalities
Amylase level is the main indicator that makes it possible to understand whether a person has pancreatitis. They donate blood and urine for his research. Amylase acts as an enzyme for the breakdown of starch in the digestive system. It is formed in the salivary glands and in the pancreas.
With pancreatitis, this enzyme is not secreted in the intestine, it begins to be activated in the pancreas. Part of the enzyme enters the bloodstream, and directly from the blood enters the urine.
In the presence of pancreatitis, the amylase content in the blood increases only twelve hours after the onset of the disease. Elevated amylase is characterized by a very persistent value. In urine, it can be present for four days. Urinalysis for pancreatitis is required.
There is no correlation between the concentration of amylase in the body and the severity of the disease. In some cases, its content in the urine does not increase at all. The value of total amylase in the urine, as a rule, increases in the following conditions:
- Against the background of acute appendicitis.
- With a tubal interrupted pregnancy.
- In the presence of intestinal obstruction.
- Against the background of cholecystitis, pancreatic injuries and impaired outflow in this organ.
- In the presence of pathologies of the salivary glands, peritonitis, severe diabetes, perforation of a stomach ulcer, pregnancy and rupture of an aortic aneurysm.
A normal indicator of amylase in urine is considered to be up to 408 units per day.
What other indicators of pancreatitis in the analyzes are studied?
The main values of the biochemical analysis of blood: lipase and elastase
Determination of lipase in the blood is one of the tests in the presence of pancreatitis. Lipase acts as an pancreatic enzyme, it is intended for the breakdown of lipids. The determination of lipase is a specific analysis, because it is produced only by the pancreas, its level rises exclusively with pathologies of this organ. A normal lipase level is between 14 and 60 IU per liter.
Determining elastase activity is considered a “late” study in pancreatitis, as its level can remain elevated for about a week and a half from exacerbation of the chronic forms of this disease. For example, at this time, elastase levels increase in absolutely all patients. As for the concentration of amylase, its level increases in forty-three percent of patients. However, according to the level of elastase in the blood, it is impossible to unequivocally state the degree of damage to pancreatic tissues. A normal level of elastase in the blood is an indicator of 0.1 to 4 nanograms per milliliter.
A criterion such as elastase in the blood is determined to detect acute inflammation of the pancreas, and the detection of this enzyme in the feces is a sign of impaired functions of the synthesis of enzymes.
Other indicators of biochemical analysis, their meaning and interpretation
A biochemical blood test in the presence of pancreatitis is taken to determine various general clinical indicators. The following changes are often defined:
- Decrease in the level of total protein, and in addition, albumin, transferrin and ferritin.
- Change in the globulin index upward.
- Increased activity of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase, and in addition, glutamyl transferase.
- An increase in the amount of cholesterol, bilirubin and phosphatase is observed with complications: against the background of a block of bile ducts and in the case of the development of reactive hepatitis or cholestasis syndrome.
- In biochemical analysis, a decrease in calcium in the blood is often observed, which is an indicator of the severity of pancreatitis.
A decrease in calcium and the amount of protein in the blood is a marker of the severity of pancreatitis and the degree of tissue damage to the pancreas. Total protein in the blood is from 64 to 82 grams per liter, and the level of calcium is from 2.14 to 2.54 mmol per liter.
What tests for pancreatitis are given, the doctor will tell.
Biochemical analysis and tumor markers
Determination of the content of tumor markers in the blood is a necessary analysis in the presence of chronic pancreatitis. This indicator should be monitored in order not to miss the moment of the transformation of the chronic form of pancreatitis into pancreatic cancer.
A double increase in carcinoembryonic antigen is an indicator of the appearance of pancreatic inflammation. An increase in blood tumor markers serves as an indirect sign of the appearance of cancer of this organ. Among other things, the level of tumor markers may increase in the presence of gastric cancer, as well as against the background of colorectal and cholangiogenic oncology, therefore this analysis is an indirect sign of pancreatic cancer.
The value of carcionembryonic antigen should normally be from 0 to 3.73 nanograms per milliliter for non-smokers, and for smokers, from 0 to 5.43 nanograms per milliliter.
Biochemical analysis and glucose
Determination of glucose in the blood is considered a mandatory analysis, because often the outcome of the development of chronic pancreatitis is diabetes.
This analysis needs to be done several times in order to ensure the reliability of the results, since it is influenced by various factors: eating foods just before the test, along with the level of physical activity and taking certain medications. Normally, the blood glucose concentration should be up to 5.3 mmol per liter.
Establishment of glycated hemoglobin
A more accurate analysis for determining diabetes (in addition to testing for sugar) is to establish glycated hemoglobin. Such a substance is an enzyme that is bound to glucose. It is measured in percent, normally it can range from four to six percent. This analysis most accurately demonstrates the average glucose concentration over the last three months.
We examined what tests to take with pancreatitis.