Pancreatitis and Lipase

Abstract

Lipase activity was simultaneously determined with amylase activity in the sera of 30 hospitalized patients with acute pancreatitis. On admission to the study, 70% of patients with acute pancreatitis had increased serum amylase, 63% had increased lipase, and 83% had increased lipase, increased amylase, or both. All patients had either lipase or amylase increase at some time during the course of their disease. Lipase level elevation paralleled the amylase in the majority of cases. There were several instances of earlier elevation of the lipase level. The traditional thesis that lipase level elevation occurs later and lasts longer than that of amylase was not confirmed. Measurement of serum amylase and lipase levels together will improve diagnostic accuracy in acute pancreatitis. (JAMA229:47-50, 1974)