Description of the blood Analysis: 

Lipase is an enzyme produced primarily by the pancreas that helps the body break down and digest dietary fats (lipids). While several organs produce small amounts of lipase, the version found in the blood comes almost exclusively from the pancreas. Under normal conditions, only a small, constant amount of lipase circulates in the blood. However, when the pancreas is damaged or inflamed, lipase leaks out of the pancreatic cells and into the bloodstream in large quantities.

What Does the Analysis Represent?

• Goal: To detect, diagnose, and monitor diseases of the pancreas.
• Main Application: Diagnosing acute pancreatitis (sudden inflammation of the pancreas).
• Biological Process: It serves as a highly specific biomarker for pancreatic health. Unlike Amylase, which is also produced by salivary glands, Lipase is much more specific to the pancreas and remains elevated in the blood for a longer period (up to 8–14 days), making it more useful for diagnosis.

Recommendations for the Test (General)

• Fasting: Recommended. Fasting for 8–12 hours is usually requested because high levels of fats in the blood (lipemia) can sometimes interfere with the lab’s chemical reagents.
• No Alcohol: Do not consume alcohol for 24 hours before the test, as alcohol is a direct irritant to the pancreas.
• Material: Venous blood (serum).

What Can Affect the Results?

• Kidney Function: Lipase is cleared from the body by the kidneys. If you have kidney disease, your lipase levels may be elevated simply because the body isn’t filtering it out fast enough.
• Medications: Drugs such as codeine, morphine, and certain diuretics can cause a temporary spike in lipase levels by causing spasms in the pancreatic duct.
• Severe High Triglycerides: Extremely high fat levels in the blood (over 1000 mg/dL) can actually mask high lipase levels, sometimes leading to a “false normal” result.

When to Take the Test?

• Severe Upper Abdominal Pain: Especially pain that feels sharp, comes on suddenly, and radiates through to your back.
• Digestive Distress: Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, or oily/foul-smelling stools (steatorrhea).
• Fever and Tenderness: If the upper abdomen is painful to the touch.
• Monitoring: To track the healing process after a pancreatic injury or surgery.

How to Interpret the Results?

Important: Lipase results are for informational purposes and require a professional medical diagnosis for any pancreatic issues. Significant Elevation: A level three times higher than the normal limit is typically diagnostic for Acute Pancreatitis. Low Levels: May signal that the pancreatic cells are chronically damaged and unable to produce enough enzymes.

Possible Further Investigations

• Amylase: Often tested alongside lipase to provide a complete picture of pancreatic enzymes.
• Abdominal Ultrasound or CT Scan: To look for physical signs of swelling, gallstones, or cysts in the pancreas.
• Liver Function Tests (ALT/AST/Bilirubin): To see if a gallstone is blocking both the bile duct and the pancreatic duct.
• CRP (C-Reactive Protein): To measure the overall severity of the inflammation in the body.

When Does the Next Step Make Sense? 

The next step is urgent if lipase levels are significantly elevated. Acute pancreatitis can lead to serious complications if not treated with IV fluids and pain management in a hospital setting. If your lipase is only slightly high and you have no pain, your doctor may check your kidney function or look for “silent” issues like a gallstone that hasn’t caused a full blockage yet.

👉 If necessary, you can discuss the results of the analysis with a specialist, such as a Gastroenterologist (Doctors – TAMC)