Isoamylase levels in bone marrow transplant patients are affected by total body irradiation and not by graft-versus-host disease.

Abstract

The mean total serum amylase levels in patients was 3.2 +/- 0.5 mukat/l (+/-SE) before total body irradiation (TBI) prior to bone marrow transplantation of which 50% was due to pancreatic isoamylase and 50% salivary isoamylase. Total serum amylase increased to a maximum of 100.3 +/- 12.3 mukat/l on the first day after TBI and most of this increase was due to an increase in salivary isoamylase (90.0 +/- 12.1 mukat/l). In association with this, all patients had clinical symptoms of parotitis. An increase in pancreatic isoamylase was found in 27% of the patients; however, none of them had clinical symptoms of pancreatitis. Serum amylase levels returned to normal within 5 days after TBI but then decreased to subnormal values, remaining below the normal range for 3 weeks. Pancreatic isoamylase returned to pre-irradiation levels 1.5 months after TBI, while salivary isoamylase remained low for the rest of the observation time. TBI of 7.5 Gy at 26 cGy/min gave significantly lower salivary amylase at 2 days after TBI compared with 10 Gy at 4 cGy/min: 32 +/- 4 versus 76 +/- 13 mukat/l (P less than 0.05). At 2.5 and 6 months after TBI significantly higher total amylase levels were recorded for patients treated with 7.5 Gy of TBI compared with 10 Gy: 2.5 +/- 0.4 and 2.7 +/- 0.3 versus 2.0 +/- 0.5 and 0.8 +/- 0.3 mukat/l, respectively (P less than 0.01, P less than 0.05, respectively). Acute or chronic GVHD did not affect acinar cells in this investigation.

• Authors: C Brattström, J Tollemar, O Ringdén, K Bergström, G Tydén
• Journal: Transplant international : official journal of the European Society for Organ Transplantation (Transpl Int) Vol. 4 Issue 2 Pg. 96-8 (Jun 1991) ISSN: 0934-0874 [Print] Switzerland
• PMID: 1716901 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Amylases
• Isoamylase

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Amylases (blood)
• Bone Marrow Transplantation
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Graft vs Host Disease (enzymology)
• Humans
• Isoamylase (blood, radiation effects)
• Leukemia (enzymology, radiotherapy)
• Middle Aged
• Saliva (enzymology, radiation effects)
• Whole-Body Irradiation