Skip to main content
PMC home page
Gut logoLink to Gut
. 1991 May;32(5):546–548. doi: 10.1136/gut.32.5.546

Selective deficiency of pancreatic amylase.

K Sjölund 1, A Häggmark 1, I Ihse 1, G Skude 1, U Kärnström 1, M Wikander 1
PMCID: PMC1378936  PMID: 1710200

Abstract

Two patients with specific pancreatic amylase deficiency are described. The greatly reduced pancreatic amylase activity was not due to an enzymatically inactive amylase molecule but to an almost complete absence of the molecule itself. The findings are of diagnostic importance as they show that low pancreatic amylase activity in serum or duodenal aspirates, or both, does not necessarily represent chronic exocrine pancreatic disease such as chronic pancreatitis, carcinoma of the pancreas, or cystic fibrosis but may be an isolated finding. In one of our patients a familial occurrence was shown, indicating a congenital deficiency.

Full text

PDF
546

Images in this article

547Figure 2
on p.547

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Arnesjö B., Ihse I., Odeberg H., Stahl E. Deficiency of lipolytic pancreatic enzymes in an adult man. Digestion. 1974;11(1-2):147–151. doi: 10.1159/000197577. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bode C., Dürr H. K., Bode J. C. Effect of short- and long-term alcohol feeding in rats on pancreatic enzyme content and enzyme secretion in isolated pancreatic lobules in vitro. Int J Pancreatol. 1986 Jul;1(2):129–139. doi: 10.1007/BF02788445. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Borgström A., Wehlin L. Correlation between serum concentrations of three specific exocrine pancreatic proteins and pancreatic duct morphology at ERCP examinations. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1984 Mar;19(2):220–227. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brock A., Mortensen P. B., Mortensen B. B., Røge H. R. Familial occurrence of diminished pancreatic amylase in serum--a "silent" Amy-2 allelic variant? Clin Chem. 1988 Jul;34(7):1516–1517. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Delachaume-Salem E., Sarles H. Evolution en fonction de l'age de la sécrétion pancréatique humaine normale. Biol Gastroenterol (Paris) 1970;2:135–146. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Farber S., Shwachman H., Maddock C. L. PANCREATIC FUNCTION AND DISEASE IN EARLY LIFE. I. PANCREATIC ENZYME ACTIVITY AND THE CELIAC SYNDROME. J Clin Invest. 1943 Nov;22(6):827–838. doi: 10.1172/JCI101456. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fedail S. S., Karar Z. A., Harvey R. F., Read A. E. Serum trypsin as measure of pancreatic exocrine function in children with protein calorie malnutrition. Lancet. 1980 Aug 16;2(8190):374–374. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(80)90376-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fogel M. R., Gray G. M. Starch hydrolysis in man: an intraluminal process not requiring membrane digestion. J Appl Physiol. 1973 Aug;35(2):263–267. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1973.35.2.263. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. HUMMEL B. C. A modified spectrophotometric determination of chymotrypsin, trypsin, and thrombin. Can J Biochem Physiol. 1959 Dec;37:1393–1399. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hildebrand H., Borgström B., Békássy A., Erlanson-Albertsson C., Helin I. Isolated co-lipase deficiency in two brothers. Gut. 1982 Mar;23(3):243–246. doi: 10.1136/gut.23.3.243. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ihse I., Lilja P., Evander A., Skude G. Time-related enzyme concentrations in duodenal aspirates after ingestion of a test meal. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1977;12(5):629–635. doi: 10.3109/00365527709181345. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jørgensen H. R., Kristensen B., Mortensen P. B. Familiaer forekomst af nedsat aktivitet af pancreaskorreleret amylase-isoenzym i serum. Ugeskr Laeger. 1984 Feb 27;146(9):657–659. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kamarýt J., Laxová R. Amylase heterogeneity. Some genetik and clinical aspects. Humangenetik. 1965;1(7):579–586. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. LOWE C. U., MAY C. D. Selective pancreatic deficiency, absent amylase, diminished trypsin, and normal lipase. AMA Am J Dis Child. 1951 Oct;82(4):459–464. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. LUNDH G. Pancreatic exocrine function in neoplastic and inflammatory disease; a simple and reliable new test. Gastroenterology. 1962 Mar;42:275–280. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lankisch P. G., Manthey G., Otto J., Koop H., Talaulicar M., Willms B., Creutzfeldt W. Exocrine pancreatic function in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Digestion. 1982;25(3):211–216. doi: 10.1159/000198833. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Lilibridge C. B., Townes P. L. Physiologic deficiency of pancreatic amylase in infancy: a factor in iatrogenic diarrhea. J Pediatr. 1973 Feb;82(2):279–282. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(73)80167-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Meullenet J., Baratta H., Sarles H. Alcool et anticholinergiques. Effets sur la sécrétion pancréatique exocrine de l'homme. Gastroenterol Clin Biol. 1979 Dec;3(12):885–891. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Morris M. D., Fisher D. A. Trypsinogen deficiency disease. Am J Dis Child. 1967 Aug;114(2):203–208. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1967.02090230133019. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Rey J., Frezal J., Royer P., Lamy M. L'absence congenitale de lipase pancreatique. Arch Fr Pediatr. 1966 Jan;23(1):5–14. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. SHELDON W. CONGENITAL PANCREATIC LIPASE DEFICIENCY. Arch Dis Child. 1964 Jun;39:268–271. doi: 10.1136/adc.39.205.268. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Skrha J., Stepán J., Havránek T., Skrha F., Herfort K., Sramkova J., Pav J. Isoamylases in diabetes mellitus. Diabetologia. 1981 Feb;20(2):129–133. doi: 10.1007/BF00262015. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Skude G., Eriksson S. Serum isoamylases in chronic pancreatitis. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1976;11(5):525–527. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Skude G., Ihse I. Isoamylases in pancreatic carcinoma and chronic relapsing pancreatitis. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1977;12(1):53–57. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Skude G., Kollberg H. Serum isoamylases in cystic fibrosis. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1976 Mar;65(2):145–149. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1976.tb16527.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Skude G. Sources of the serum isoamylases and their normal range of variation with age. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1975;10(6):577–584. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Taussig L. M., Wolf R. O., Woods R. E., Deckelbaum R. J. Use of serum amylase isoenzymes in evaluation of pancreatic function. Pediatrics. 1974 Aug;54(2):229–235. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Townes P. L., White M. R. Identity of two syndromes. Proteolytic, lipolytic, and amylolytic deficiency of the exocrine pancreas with congenital anomalies. Am J Dis Child. 1981 Mar;135(3):248–250. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Gut are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES