Evaluation of Diagnostic Threshold of Amylase and Lipase Enzymes in Diagnosis of Acute Pancreatitis and Their Sensitivity and Specifcity

• Main Authors: Younes Azari Amghani, Babak Abri Aghdam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Aras Part Medical International Press 2018-04-01
• Series: Crescent Journal of Medical and Biological Sciences
• Subjects: Pancreatitis; Amylase; Lipase; Cut off; Sensitivity; Specifcity
• Online Access: http://cjmb.org/uploads/pdf/pdf_CJMB_187.pdf
• ISSN: 2148-9696; 2148-9696

Objectives: Every sudden and non-traumatic disorder with a major clinical manifestation in the abdomen is considered as an acute abdomen and requires urgent surgery, considering the fact that it is a cause of acute pancreatitis, which is usually associated with increased blood amylase and lipase levels. Therefore, the diagnostic value of amylase, lipase enzymes, their sensitivity, and specifcity along with their positive and negative predictive value in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis were evaluated. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study examined 244 patients who referred to Imam Reza and Sina Hospitals of Tabriz. The diagnostic values of two thresholds of 110 and 550 IU/L for amylase, and 80 and 400 IU/L for lipase were studied. Results: The results showed that 142 (58.2%) of the patients were female. The mean age was 57.97±21.22 years old. Eighty-one patients (33.2%) had acute pancreatitis. At a cut-off of 110 IU/L, the sensitivity, specifcity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of amylase enzyme were 0.762, 0.407, 0.736 and 0.988 and at a cut-off of 550 IU/L, they were 0.598, 0.943, 0.876 and 0.77, respectively. In the case of lipase, at cut-offs of 80 and 400 IU/L, the sensitivity of 0.84 and 0.519, the specifcity of 0.552 and 0.847, positive predictive value of 0.482 and 0.627, negative predictive value of 0.874 and 0.87. Conclusions: The results showed that as the detection threshold increased, the specifcity of tests increased, but the sensitivity decreased. In addition, studying the level of lipase and amylase enzymes can help in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis.