Skip to main content
Your session has expired. Reloading...
Liver

Amylase normal range: limits by age at Star-SHL, one limit at Unilabs

Amylase is an enzyme, meaning a protein that makes a chemical reaction in the body run faster, and according to the NVKC it helps digest sugars from food. Amylase comes from the pancreas and the salivary glands, which according to a Cochrane review each make their own major form of amylase. Other tissues, including the small intestine, the ovaries, fat tissue and skeletal muscle, also secrete amylase according to that review.

According to the NVKC, amylase can be slightly raised in many conditions of the upper abdomen, and strongly raised in acute pancreatitis, where the pancreas is inflamed. A gradually decreasing value occurs in chronic pancreatitis, according to the NVKC. Only a blood test can show whether your amylase is too high or too low.

Star-SHL uses 119 U/l (units per litre) as the upper limit for amylase for adults aged 19 to 50 inclusive, and a higher limit from age 51. That limit is 134 U/l for those aged 51 to 65 inclusive, 141 U/l aged 66 to 80 inclusive and 139 U/l above 80. Unilabs uses one upper limit of 107 U/l for all ages.

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

The outcome of an amylase test is a figure in units per litre (U/l) for the enzyme activity in the blood, and for it Star-SHL publishes age-group limits and Unilabs one limit for all ages.

Amylase: why this value matters

According to the NVKC, a strongly raised amylase value can point to acute pancreatitis, and the value is back to normal within a few days of successful treatment.

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.
Which test
on its own €16,-
Where
650+ draw sites run by independent laboratories across the Netherlands. Draw sites

Amylase: when is testing worthwhile?

A measurement of amylase serves, according to the NVKC, the Dutch society for clinical chemistry, to find out whether someone with symptoms has pancreatitis or another pancreatic condition. The amylase test also checks, according to the NVKC, whether a medical treatment of some forms of pancreatic cancer is working.

Amylase: symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

When amylase is low in both blood and urine, this can, according to the NVKC, indicate damage to the pancreatic cells that make the enzyme. In chronic pancreatitis amylase can gradually decrease over time, and according to the NVKC such an inflammation can arise from causes including cystic fibrosis, an inherited condition.

High Levels

According to the NVKC, a raised amylase can occur in people with gallstones. A doctor should see you immediately if sudden, severe, persistent pain occurs in the upper abdomen. According to a Cochrane review, such pain marks acute pancreatitis, and according to the same review it often spreads to the back. Together with long-term alcohol use, gallstones are the most common causes of such an inflammation according to a US review.

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

Always compare an amylase value with the limit of the laboratory that ran the test, because Star-SHL and Unilabs use different limits.

Amylase: frequently asked questions

Is 120 too high for amylase?

An amylase value of 120 U/l is just above Star-SHL's upper limit of 119 U/l from 19 up to and including 50. From 51 up to and including 65 the limit there is 134 U/l, from 66 up to and including 80 it is 141 U/l and above 80 it is 139 U/l, so 120 U/l falls within the range from 51. At Unilabs, 120 U/l is above the limit of 107 U/l, which applies to all ages.

Is the amylase limit different for women?

No, Star-SHL, Unilabs and Certe make no distinction between women and men for amylase; Star-SHL and Certe do divide the limit by age.

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

See Lunarahealth more often in Google

Add us as a preferred source. Google will then show our articles more often in your search results and in AI overviews. You can turn this off again at any time.

That did not work. Please try again.

Tests with related values

These panels measure values from the same category as this marker.

Health Checkups

Complete Metabolic Panel

Comprehensive metabolic panel: electrolytes, kidney, liver, glucose, HbA1c, and protein.

HbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin) ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) Calcium ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase) AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase) Bilirubin (Total) Urea (BUN) Creatinine eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate) Glucose (Fasting) Bicarbonate Chloride Sodium Potassium Albumin Total Protein Bilirubin (Direct) Bilirubin (Indirect)
€149,-

Medical reviewer

Medical standards

Dr. Naimi oversees the medical standards behind our content and assessments.

Medical policy
CIBG Ministerie van Volksgezondheid,
Welzijn en Sport Official BIG registration BIG 49928676701 Opens in a new tab

Amylase

€16,-