Abstract:
Amylase enzyme is an enzyme involved with digestion of
carbohydrates. Unusual levels of serum amylase accompany with
medical complications. Determination of serum amylase level is not
done routinely in the medical laboratories and it is recommended for
the patients diagnosed with acute and chronic pancreatitis at its severe
stage. Thus, screening of serum amylase levels in early stages has a
great importance. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate
whether there is an association between serum amylase level and
Body Mass Index (BMI). Healthy individuals of 120 belonged to 22-35
years were recruited to the study. BMI calculation was done according
to the standard protocol. The serum amylase level was determined by
MISPA VIVA semi-automated Clinical Chemistry Analyzer. The
minimum and maximum serum amylase levels of the study population
were 15.6 and 132.19 U/L, respectively. The mean serum amylase
level of females was 72.35 U/L and in males, 63.28 U/L. The mean
serum amylase enzyme level in underweight, normal, overweight and
obese groups were 69.32, 69.30, 70.25 and 70.28 U/L, respectively. In
males, the mean serum amylase enzyme levels in same BMI
categories were 63.30, 48.82, 51.32 and 80.06 U/L, respectively and in
females, 70.24, 74.42, 81.20 and 62.79 o U/L, respectively. Results
showed that serum amylase enzyme level was significantly higher in
females compared to males (p=0.042). There was no significant linear
correlation between serum amylase enzyme level and BMI in both
males (r=0.204, p=0.248) and females (r=-0.046, p=0.671) of the study
population.
