Hyperglucagonemia--a partial explanation for the increased amylase/creatinine clearance in pancreatitis

Hyperglucagonemia accompanies several clinical conditions characterized by increased amylase/creatinine clearance. We tested the hypothesis that glucagon may be responsible for this augmented clearance. Therefore, a constant glucagon infusion was given to eight volunteers in order to attain physiological levels comparable to those obtained during acute pancreatitis. The amylase/creatinine clearance increased from 0.84 +/- 0.8% to a mean of 1.30 +/- 1.14% (p less than 0.001). This was, however, less than the clearance of 2.94 +/- 0.23% observed during acute pancreatitis. The rise in amylase clearance during acute pancreatitis is, therefore, only partially explained by the hyperglucagonemia.