Amylase: What Affects The Test
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What Affects the Test
Factors that can interfere with your test or the accuracy of the results include:
- Medicines, including narcotics such as codeine and morphine, birth control pills, diuretics, indomethacin (Indocin), and blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin (Coumadin) and aspirin.
- Hepatitis, cirrhosis, or extensive damage to the pancreas.
- Chronic pancreatitis, which may be present even though amylase levels are low.
- Blood in the urine. If you are a woman who has menstrual periods, you may need to schedule a urine test for amylase when you are not having your period.
- Drinking a large amount of alcohol before the test.
- Saliva, which contains large amounts of amylase. Coughing, sneezing, or even talking over an uncovered urine or blood specimen can contaminate the specimen and artificially increase amylase values.
- Chronic kidney disease, which may cause high levels when the kidneys are no longer able to remove amylase from the blood.
| Last updated: | April 30, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Ralph Poore |
| Reviewed By: | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine, Peter J. Kahrilas, MD - Gastroenterology |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer |
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