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Inflammation

SAA (serum amyloid A): the inflammation protein from the liver and amyloidosis

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a protein that, according to the pathology laboratory of Leeds Teaching Hospitals (NHS), liver cells release in the acute phase of inflammation. According to the same source, SAA is also the precursor of the amyloid A fibres found in the body in amyloidosis.

According to Leeds, in many inflammatory diseases, for example rheumatoid arthritis, the amount of SAA in the blood rises greatly. According to Leeds, up to 10% of people with sustained high SAA values may eventually develop AA amyloidosis. Only a blood test shows the SAA value.

Unilabs uses a limit of below 4 mg/l for SAA.

Turnaround 48 hours, estimate Turnaround: up to 48 hours after your blood draw (estimate).

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a protein that liver cells release in the acute phase of inflammation, and the precursor of the amyloid A fibres in amyloidosis. According to Leeds Teaching Hospitals, SAA rises greatly in many inflammatory diseases.

  • Unilabs uses a limit of below 4 mg/l for SAA.
  • According to Leeds, up to 10% of people with sustained high SAA values may eventually develop AA amyloidosis.
  • According to a 2019 review, SAA tests are usually used together with other biomarkers.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): what Dutch laboratories use

There is no nationally agreed reference value; this is what individual laboratories publish.

Reference ranges by group, in mg/l
Unilabs · Everyone · a limit, not a range < 4 mg/l
4
0 4.4 mg/l

Source: Unilabs

Each value as the laboratory itself publishes it, retrieved in 2026.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): what this test measures

The SAA test measures the amount of serum amyloid A in the blood, at Unilabs and at Leeds in milligrams per litre (mg/l). Unilabs has SAA measured with ELISA, a measurement with antibodies, at UMC Groningen. According to Leeds, turbid, jaundiced or fatty specimens are unsuitable for the measurement.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): why this value matters

According to a 2019 review, SAA is used in clinical laboratories as an indicator of inflammation. According to that review, SAA, an acute-phase protein like CRP, is more conclusive than CRP in viral infections, severe acute pancreatitis and rejection reactions after a kidney transplant. According to the same review, the available SAA tests work with polyclonal antibodies, which do not distinguish between the forms of SAA and are associated with many inflammatory diseases. According to that review, SAA tests are therefore usually used together with other biomarkers.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): how the blood test works

Referral
No GP referral needed. After the order we arrange the referral through ZorgDomein, within one business day; orders after 17:00 or at the weekend start on the next business day. ZorgDomein emails a barcode, and that barcode is what the draw site needs.
The draw
A blood draw from a vein in the arm, at a partner laboratory's draw site. No home kit, no finger prick.
Results
Turnaround: up to 48 hours after your blood draw (estimate).
Where
650+ draw sites run by independent laboratories across the Netherlands. Draw sites

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): when is testing worthwhile?

According to Leeds, an SAA test is intended for people at risk of amyloidosis, for example with rheumatoid arthritis or inherited fever syndromes. According to Leeds, the result is assessed together with the medical history, kidney function and other acute-phase proteins.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

A low SAA value falls under the Unilabs limit, which gives only an upper limit of 4 mg/l. None of the sources read for this page names a cause or a meaning of a low SAA.

High Levels

According to Leeds, a high SAA value fits inflammation: in many inflammatory diseases, for example rheumatoid arthritis, SAA rises greatly. According to Leeds, with sustained high SAA values up to 10% of people may eventually develop AA amyloidosis, although according to Leeds the level of SAA does not predict whether fibres form.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): causes of a low or high value

What raises the value

  • Inflammatory diseases, for example rheumatoid arthritis

    The amount of SAA in the blood rises greatly in many inflammatory diseases, for example rheumatoid arthritis.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): lifestyle and this value

Discuss a raised SAA with your GP, because Leeds advises assessing the result together with the medical history, kidney function and other acute-phase proteins.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): frequently asked questions

What is the difference between SAA and CRP?

According to a 2019 review, SAA is more conclusive than CRP in viral infections, severe acute pancreatitis and rejection after a kidney transplant, although that review classes SAA and CRP both as acute-phase proteins. In other conditions, such as bacterial infections, that review finds SAA together with CRP and procalcitonin can give more information than each protein alone.

Does a high SAA mean someone will get amyloidosis?

No, a high SAA does not mean someone will get amyloidosis: according to Leeds, up to 10% of people with sustained high SAA values may eventually develop AA amyloidosis, and the level of SAA does not predict whether fibres form.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A): sources

  1. Unilabs, Bepalingenklapper (referentiewaarden per bepaling), bepalingenklapper.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) bepalingenklapper.nl
  2. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Pathology, Amyloid A Protein (SAA), leedsth.nhs.uk, geraadpleegd 2026-10-16 (retrieved 2026) leedsth.nhs.uk

Tests with related values

These panels measure values from the same category as this marker.

Turnaround 48 hours, estimate

Full blood test

Twenty values from one draw: liver, kidneys, lipids, glucose, blood count, thyroid, iron and inflammation.

ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase) ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase) GGT (Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase) Creatinine eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate) Total Cholesterol HDL Cholesterol LDL Cholesterol Triglycerides Glucose (Fasting) Hemoglobin Hematocrit Erythrocytes (RBC) Leukocytes (WBC) MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume) Platelets (Thrombocytes) TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) Ferritin CRP (C-Reactive Protein)
€199,-

Results without a doctor's assessment

You receive your values with the unit and reference range. A doctor's assessment is not part of this site. Discuss your results with your GP for explanation and treatment decisions.

SAA (Serum Amyloid A)

€49,-