Diastasis of urine: its importance in diagnosing diseases

Diastase (or alpha-amylase) is a substance-enzyme involved in the processes of carbohydrate digestion. Thanks to amylase, complex food carbohydrate compounds are broken down into small carbohydrates (glucose). Diastasis is produced by the pancreas - this is the so-called pancreatic diastasis, also salivary glands and other organs. Diastase enters the urine due to glomerular filtration.

To detect pancreatic diseases, as well as other organs determine the level of diastase (amylase) in the blood or urine. And it's extremely bad if this level is raised.

Of all the enzymes inherent in urine, the most important, in terms of diagnosis, is diastase. Urine for diastase is given for the diagnosis of diseases that affect the pancreas, salivary glands, and to identify the causes of pain occurring in the abdominal region.

Diseases due to a large amount of amylase

An increased level of amylase can be a dangerous symptom of such diseases as acute (or chronic) pancreatitis (called pancreatic inflammation), kidney failure, parotitis, peritonitis, cyst, cholecystitis, diabetes mellitus, etc. In such diseases, the level of amylase increases by a factor of 10 and more.

The level of amylase can increase due to various abdominal injuries, as well as due to abortion. If the analysis shows zero values of amylase, this signals a lack of functioning of the pancreas, which is a signal of acute (or chronic) hepatitis. During pregnancy with toxicosis, too, it is possible to reduce the amount of amylase.

Analysis for diastase. Norm

To determine a substance such as urine diastase, a 24-hour urine sample is taken. Doctors recommend collecting urine in this way: remove the first morning dose, and, starting with the second, collect the urine, allocated during the day. In the diagnosis of amylase (urine diastase), the norm ranges from 16 to 64 U / h. According to the Wolgemut method, urine diastase in a healthy person should not exceed 64 units. Therefore, with an increase in diastase in the urine, there is every reason to believe that, most likely, the pancreas is affected. Less frequent urinary diastasis in large quantities may be present not because of pancreatic damage, but due to other diseases, for example, cholecystitis or peritonitis.

Very important is the analysis of blood and urine for diastase. The level of diastase rises first in the blood, and only then does its content increase in the urine, so the study is important especially in the early stages of pancreatitis development. With its acute course, the amount of amylase usually increases significantly in the first hours after the onset of the disease. Then the elevated level is held for three days. If the form of the course of the disease is protracted, then such a level of diastase persists for several weeks. The increased amount of amylase in the urine does not always indicate the severity of the patient's condition, since the level of amylase can be normal and even lower in pancreatic necrosis. A rapid decrease in the amount of diastase can signal a progressing pathological process in the gland.

Diastasis of urine may increase slightly with such diseases as gastritis, acute hepatitis, pleurisy, appendicitis. Much attention is paid to the diagnosis of pancreatitis, the amount of diastase at which varies from 128 to 256 units. In such cases it is possible to diagnose this disease with great certainty.

Drugs that increase the volume of diastase in the urine (blood)

It is important to know that the amount of amylase in the urine can increase due to the intake of certain medications. First of all, the group of such medicines included:

- antibiotics - tetracyclines;

- narcotic analgesics ;

- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ;

- adrenaline;

- antineoplastic agents;

- preparations of gold;

- non-medical drugs (heroin, cocaine, etc.).