Diastase (or alpha-amylase) is an enzyme that is involved in the breakdown of carbohydrates. Due to amylase, complex compounds of food carbohydrates are broken down into small carbohydrates (glucose). The pancreas produces diastase - this is the so-called pancreatic diastasis, also the salivary glands and other organs. Diastasis enters the urine due to glomerular filtration.
To identify diseases of the pancreas, as well as other organs, the level of diastase (amylase) in the blood or urine is determined. And it is extremely bad if this level is increased.
Of all the enzymes inherent in urine, the most important, from the point of view of diagnosis, is diastasis. Urine for diastase surrenders to diagnose diseases affecting the pancreas, salivary glands, and to identify the causes of pain that occur in the abdomen.
Diseases resulting from a large amount of amylase
An increased level of amylase can be a dangerous symptom of diseases such as acute (or chronic) pancreatitis (so-called inflammation of the pancreas), renal failure, mumps, peritonitis, cysts, cholecystitis, diabetes mellitus, etc. In such diseases, the level of amylase increases 10 times and more.
Amylase levels may increase due to various abdominal injuries, as well as due to termination of pregnancy. If the analysis shows zero values of amylase, this indicates a lack of functioning of the pancreas, which is a signal of acute (or chronic) hepatitis. During pregnancy with toxicosis, a decrease in the amount of amylase is also possible.
Analysis for diastase. Norm
To determine a substance such as urine diastasis, an analysis of daily urine is taken. Doctors recommend collecting urine in this way: remove the first morning portion, and, starting from the second, collect urine excreted during the day. In the diagnosis of amylase (urine diastasis), the norm ranges from 16 to 64 units / h. According to the method of Volgemut, urine diastasis in a healthy person should not exceed 64 units. Therefore, with an increase in diastase in the urine, there is every reason to believe that the pancreas is most likely affected. Less commonly, urine diastasis in large quantities may be present not due to damage to the pancreas, but due to other diseases, such as cholecystitis or peritonitis.
A blood and urine test for diastasis is very important. First, the level of diastase in the blood rises, and only then does its content in the urine increase, so the study is important especially in the early stages of pancreatitis. In its acute course, usually the amount of amylase increases markedly in the first hours from the onset of the disease. Then the elevated level is maintained for three days. If the form of the disease is protracted, then this level of diastase persists for several weeks. An increased amount of amylase in the urine does not always indicate the severity of the patient's condition, since the amylase level can be normal or even reduced with pancreatic necrosis. A rapid decrease in the number of diastases can signal a progressive pathological process in the gland.
Diastasis of urine may slightly increase in diseases such as gastritis, acute hepatitis, pleurisy, appendicitis. Much attention is paid to the diagnosis of pancreatitis, the amount of diastase in which varies from 128 - 256 units. In such cases, with great certainty, you can diagnose this disease.
Drugs that increase the volume of diastases in the urine (blood)
It is important to know that the amount of amylase in the urine may increase due to the intake of certain medications. First of all, the group of such drugs included:
- antibiotics - tetracyclines;
- narcotic analgesics;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ;
- adrenaline;
- antitumor agents;
- gold preparations ;
- non-medical drugs (heroin, cocaine, etc.).