Lipase

The lipase is an enzyme which basic purpose consists in dissolution, division into fractions and digestion of fats in a digestive tract of the person.

The lipase by a pancreas, lungs, a liver, and in intestines is developed. Also there is such concept as a lingvalny lipase is a substance which is produced in a mouth at newborn children.

Each of the specified enzymes is responsible for splitting of separate group of fats.

One more important function of a lipase is a participation in energy balance, process of digestion of A, D, E, K vitamins, fatty polyunsaturated acids.

Norm of a lipase

There are certain standards of the contents of a lipase in blood.

At children up to 17 years from 0 to 130 units of a lipase have to contain in 1 ml of blood.

The admissible norm of a lipase for adults, regardless of a floor, makes 0-190 units of enzyme on 1 ml of blood.

Reveal lipase level by means of blood test. Appoint it usually to patients with chronic or acute pancreatitis, cirrhosis, acute cholecystitis, diabetic ketoacidosis, a chronic and acute renal failure, impassability of acute intestines, stomach ulcer, and also those who underwent an operation on organ transplantation.

The analysis on lipase level is especially important for those at whom the pancreas is affected. The blood analysis on a lipase and one more enzyme – amylase, in 98% yields exact result, and indicates a pancreas disease.

How to be prepared for blood test on a lipase

Blood for the analysis is taken from a vein, on an empty stomach. The person in 12 hours prior to blood sampling cannot eat anything fat, spicy and acute. Only in extreme cases the analysis on the level of a lipase is carried out without preparation, at any time.

Today two methods of a blood analysis on the maintenance of a lipase are used: immunochemical and enzymatic. The second is applied more often because the result with its help can be received quicker.

What tells the increased lipase level about

If the lipase is raised, physicians can suspect existence of such diseases at the person:

• bilious gripes;
• pancreatitis in an acute stage or the aggravated chronic pancreatitis;
• new growths in a pancreas, including cysts or pseudocysts;
• disbolism (obesity, gout, diabetes mellitus and so forth);
• heart attack or impassability of intestines;
• perforation of internal generative organs;
• peritonitis;
• intra hepatic cholestasia;
• perforated stomach ulcer;
• epidemic parotitis – if it is followed by damage of a pancreas.

The fact that the lipase is raised can say about what the person accepts Geparin, Indometatsin, narcotic analgetics, barbiturates also.

In spite of the fact that at physical damages it is not accepted to do blood test on the maintenance of a lipase, increase in level of this enzyme can be observed at people with fractures of tubular bones and other serious injuries.

Level of pancreatic lipase is very important for diagnosis of diseases, but it is difficult to make the exact diagnosis only on such blood test – in the first day of an exacerbation of pancreatitis the lipase raises moderately and only for the third day it is possible to reveal serious activity of enzyme. So, if damage of a pancreas is followed by emergence of hypostases, the level of a lipase is in norm limits if the patient has a hemorrhagic pancreatonecrosis (one of complications of acute pancreatitis), then the quantity of a lipase will exceed norm in three and more times. And if the person has a fatty pancreatonecrosis, then substantial increase of level of a lipase will not be.

The forecast of damage of a pancreas is considered adverse if the level of a lipase is increased in 10 and more times and if in three days it does not decrease to triple norm.

Superactivity of a lipase remains usually within 3-7 days since the beginning of an inflammation, and lipase level only in 7-14 days begins to be recovered.

What tells the low level of a lipase about

The fact that the lipase is lowered can speak about existence of oncological diseases. The exception makes a pancreatic cancer.

Besides, the lipase can be lowered at a hereditary lipidemia (the increased level of lipids in blood), bad food in which fats prevail.

The lack of a lipase can say also that pancreatitis passed from acute into a chronic form.