What can increase elastase levels? | What is elastase?

What can increase elastase levels?

Increased elastase values are usually not found in the stool but in the blood. This leads to an increased excess in the blood, which can have several reasons. In the case of an acute inflammation of the pancreas or an episode of chronic pancreatitis, the blood vessels become more permeable, allowing elastase to enter the blood. In addition, if the pancreas is not draining properly, there may be a backwater with increased pressure, which allows elastase to enter the blood vessels. The backwater can be caused by severe liver disease, gallstones or even pancreatic cancer.

What is leukocyte elastase?

The leukocyte elastase is also called granulocyte elastase because it occurs and is formed in the granulocytes.Like pancreatic elastase, leukocyte elastase cleaves compounds of amino acids of a protein. As a result of an immune response, the granulocytes, also known as scavenger cells, absorb harmful objects such as bacteria into the cell and begin to break down these objects. The so-called leukocyte elastase is effective in this process. Since this elastase is only non-specifically effective, the body’s own tissue is also damaged, which is to be prevented by the formation of elastase inhibitors.

What does elastase do to the lungs?

Elastase is also found in the lungs in some diseases. A deficient presence of elastase inhibitors such as alpha-1-antitrypsin can lead to increased elastase activity in the lungs. Here, as everywhere else in the body, elastase breaks down proteins, but this affects the body’s own tissue in the lungs.

This primarily affects structural proteins such as elastin, which are largely responsible for the elasticity of the lungs. This results in massive damage to the lung tissue, which inevitably restricts lung function. Our article is also important: Diseases of the lung