Elevation of tissue enzymes in serum may be used to detect

• A. Tissue necrosis or damage
• B. Inflammation
• C. Infectious diseases
• D. Diabetes mellitus

Answer: (A)

When tissue cells are damaged or die, their intracellular enzymes spill into the bloodstream. Measuring these enzymes in serum is a way to detect that cellular injury, i.e., tissue necrosis or damage. This is why elevated serum enzymes are used as markers of tissue injury across organs: the presence of the enzymes reflects that cells have been damaged and released their contents.

Inflammation by itself can occur without substantial enzyme leakage unless there is actual cell damage, so it’s not the best general indicator. Infectious diseases may cause tissue injury and thus enzyme release in some cases, but the test targets tissue damage itself rather than the infection. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that isn’t identified primarily by serum tissue enzyme leakage.