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Amylase value in blood and urine, with the Star-SHL age limits from 51

Your pancreas and your salivary glands release amylase, an enzyme that, according to the NVKC, the Dutch society for clinical chemistry, aids the digestion of sugars from your diet. An enzyme is a protein that speeds up a reaction in your body. Your kidneys take a quarter of your amylase out of your blood and pass it into your urine. If your kidneys do not work well, according to the NVKC they pass less amylase, and also less creatinine, another substance in your urine.

If amylase is raised in your blood while your urine shows a normal or low amylase, according to the NVKC that points to weaker kidney function or to macroamylase. In macroamylase, the enzyme in your blood is bound to other proteins. If amylase is lowered in both your blood and your urine, according to the NVKC the cells in your pancreas that make amylase may be damaged. Only a blood test reveals the amount of amylase in your blood.

Star-SHL uses 27 to 134 U/l (units per litre) for amylase in people aged 51 to 65 inclusive. In people aged 66 to 80 inclusive it is 27 to 141 U/l, and above 80 it is 27 to 139 U/l. At Star-SHL the upper limit from age 51 is therefore higher than the 119 U/l that applies to those aged 19 to 50 inclusive.

Doctor's Assessment Included

Amylase is a digestive enzyme from the pancreas and the salivary glands. For adults up to 50, the upper limit at the laboratories lies between 107 and 119 U/l.

  • In acute pancreatitis the value can reach four to six times normal within 12 hours.
  • A raised value does not always point to the pancreas: reduced kidney function and macroamylase raise it too.
  • Diagnostiek voor U does not measure amylase; a request is converted to lipase there.

Reference Ranges

See the value that applies to you:

Choose male or female — this range differs by sex.

Enter your age — this range changes with age.

This range also depends on context such as cycle phase or sample material; the highlighted rows apply to your group.

Your reference range
u/l
27 141 u/l
Reference ranges by group, in u/l
6–12 years 30–128 u/l
30 128
13–18 years 28–120 u/l
28 120
19–50 years 28–119 u/l
28 119
51–65 years 27–134 u/l
27 134
66–80 years 27–141 u/l
27 141
81 years and older 27–139 u/l
27 139
27 141 u/l

Source: NVKC Reference population: Dutch general-practice population (NUMBER, n = 7,574,327)

Reference ranges may vary between laboratories. When you order a test, a BIG-registered doctor assesses your personal results in context. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.

Check your own value

Amylase: what Dutch laboratories use

The upper limit runs from 107 u/l at Unilabs to 119 u/l at Star-shl.

Reference ranges by group, in u/l
Star-shl · Everyone · 19–50 years 28–119 U/l
28 119
Star-shl · Everyone · 51–65 years 27–134 U/l
27 134
Star-shl · Everyone · 66–80 years 27–141 U/l
27 141
Star-shl · Everyone · 81 years and older 27–139 U/l
27 139
Unilabs · Everyone 0–107 U/l
0 107
Certe · Everyone · 18 years and older · a limit, not a range < 107 U/L
107
0 155.1 u/l

Source: Star-shl

Source: Unilabs

Source: Certe

Each value as the laboratory itself publishes it, retrieved in 2026.

Amylase: what this test measures

Amylase is expressed as an activity in units per litre (U/l), and at Star-SHL the limit depends on your age: 27 to 141 U/l from 66 up to and including 80 and 27 to 139 U/l from 81.

Amylase: why this value matters

Amylase in your blood can rise sharply in acute pancreatitis, according to the NVKC, the Dutch society for clinical chemistry. Kidneys that do not work well pass both less amylase and less creatinine, another substance that leaves your body in the urine, according to the NVKC.

Amylase: how the blood test works

Referral
No GP referral needed. After the order we arrange the referral through ZorgDomein, within one business day; orders after 17:00 or at the weekend start on the next business day. ZorgDomein emails a barcode, and that barcode is what the draw site needs.
The draw
A blood draw from a vein in the arm, at a partner laboratory's draw site. No home kit, no finger prick.
Where
650+ draw sites run by independent laboratories across the Netherlands. Draw sites

Amylase: when is testing worthwhile?

The NVKC names symptoms that can point to a pancreatic problem as the reason to measure amylase in your blood. Amylase can be measured in your urine as well as your blood, to see whether a rise arises outside your pancreas. A raised amylase in your blood with a normal or low amylase in your urine points, according to the NVKC, to reduced kidney function or to macroamylase. Macroamylase is amylase attached to other proteins in your blood, so your kidneys clear it poorly.

Amylase: symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

A lowered amylase in both your blood and your urine can, according to the NVKC, point to damaged pancreatic cells, the cells that make the enzyme. According to the NVKC, chronic pancreatitis, in which that damage continues, can result from causes including gallstones, trauma or alcoholism.

High Levels

A raised amylase can come from your salivary glands, because according to a US review they make the enzyme just as your pancreas does. For that reason, lipase is the more specific test when acute pancreatitis is suspected, according to that review. With sudden, severe pain high in your abdomen that does not go away, call a doctor straight away, even if the cause of a raised amylase is still unknown.

Amylase: causes of a low or high value

What lowers the value

  • Chronic pancreatitis

    When damage to the pancreas persists, amylase falls gradually after an initial rise.

  • Long-term heavy drinking

    Alcohol can lead to chronic pancreatitis, with falling amylase as a result.

  • Cystic fibrosis

    This inherited condition can cause chronic pancreatitis and so lower amylase.

What raises the value

  • Acute pancreatitis

    Within 12 hours amylase can rise to four to six times the normal level, and after successful treatment it falls within a few days.

  • Gallstones

    Gallstones can raise amylase in the blood.

  • Pancreatic cancer

    Amylase can also be raised in cancer of the pancreas.

  • Reduced kidney function

    Part of the amylase leaves the body through the kidneys, so when they work less well more of it stays in the blood.

  • Macroamylase

    Amylase bound to other proteins is poorly cleared by the kidneys; this is harmless and causes no symptoms.

Amylase: lifestyle and this value

With a raised amylase in your blood, ask whether your urine is tested for amylase too, because according to the NVKC that combination says something about the cause.

Amylase: frequently asked questions

Is the amylase normal range different in older people?

At Star-SHL the upper limit for amylase is 134 U/l from 51 up to and including 65 and 141 U/l from 66 up to and including 80, higher than the 119 U/l from 19 up to and including 50; above 80 it is 139 U/l. Unilabs uses one limit of 107 U/l for all ages.

Is macroamylase dangerous?

No, according to the NVKC macroamylase is a benign condition without symptoms. The amylase is then bound to other proteins and poorly cleared by your kidneys, which makes your amylase value come out higher.

Amylase: sources

  1. den Elzen WPJ, Brouwer N, Thelen MH, Le Cessie S, Haagen I-A, Cobbaert CM. NUMBER: standardized reference intervals in the Netherlands using a 'big data' approach. Clin Chem Lab Med 2018;57(1):42-56. (retrieved 2026) doi.org
  2. Star-shl, Labbepalingen (referentiewaarden per bepaling), star-shl.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) star-shl.nl
  3. Unilabs, Bepalingenklapper (referentiewaarden per bepaling), bepalingenklapper.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) bepalingenklapper.nl
  4. Certe, Bepalingenwijzer (referentiewaarden per bepaling), bepalingenwijzer.certe.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) bepalingenwijzer.certe.nl
  5. NVKC, Alles over testen: Amylase, allesovertesten.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-03 (retrieved 2026) allesovertesten.nl

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Medical policy
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