An increase in serum levels of pancreatic
enzymes is a well-known manifestation of
pancreatic disease, especially of inflammatory or neoplastic nature, even if several extrapancreatic diseases can equally cause that increase. In addition to this pathological type of hyperenzymemia, different "non-pathological" forms have also been identified, including
macroamylasemia, salivary, and mixed salivary and pancreatic
hyperamylasemia, in all of which only
amylase elevations are seen. Nevertheless, in 1996 a new syndrome characterized by an abnormal, chronic, benign increase in levels of serum
amylase, pancreatic
isoamylase,
lipase and
trypsin, asymptomatic and usually discovered incidentally, was described for the first time by Lucio Gullo et al.
Hyperamylasemia/hyperlipasemia's observation is nowadays on the increase because general practitioners tend to include more frequently
amylase and
lipase in routine blood tests and, moreover, because the constant evaluation of this biochemical alteration in the Emergency Unit: for this reason, this syndrome was clearly identified only recently. Therefore, it's characterized by serum elevation of all pancreatic
enzymes in the absence of underlying diseases; it occurs in either sporadic or familial form and it persists over time with considerable fluctuation in serum
enzyme concentrations, including frequent normalizations. Proper diagnosis of this form of hyperenzymemia is important because it reassures the subjects having this anomaly that the syndrome is benign, and because it can prevent multiple and expensive diagnostic tests or useless hospitalizations or
therapies.