ENZYMES IN CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS
The rationale for measuring plasma or serum enzyme levels is based on the premise that these levels reflect changes that have occurred in a specific tissue or organ. Enzymes present in the blood are of two types - one type such as thrombin (associated with blood coagulation) has a functional role and is present in high concentration, the other type has no functional role in the blood and is present in very small amount. The latter types of enzymes mainly originate from different tissues or organs. An insult in the form of any disease may cause changes in cell membrane permeability or increased cell death, resulting in the release of intracellular enzymes into the blood.