Jmjm. Deenmamode et al., TOTAL PANCREATIC AND SALIVARY SERUM ISOAMYLASE ACTIVITIES IN ALCOHOL MISUSERS IN RELAPSE AND REMISSION AND IN ALCOHOLIC LIVER-DISEASE, Clinica chimica acta, 223(1-2), 1993, pp. 169-172
By means of immunoinhibition by specific salivary monoclonal antibodie
s in combination with a chromogenic substrate, assays of serum amylase
were performed in control subjects, in chronic alcohol misusers in re
lapse or remission and in patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD).
There was a selective increase in the salivary isoenzyme in the ALD g
roup. There were no significant changes in either of the alcohol misus
ing groups, compared with control subjects. It is suggested that the i
ncrease in salivary iso-amylase observed in patients with ALD is relat
ed to the previously reported functional and histological abnormalitie
s in the parotid glands of this group of patients. It is also suggeste
d that assay of pancreatic iso-amylase may be more discriminatory than
total amylase levels in detecting pancreatic disease in with alcoholi
c cirrhosis.