Question:

Which best explains the LDH "Flipping effect"?

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After an MI, cardiac LDH-1 rises above LDH-2 in serum.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
  • LDH 1 > LDH 2
  • LDH 2 > LDH 1
  • LDH 2 > LDH 3
  • LDH 3 > LDH 2
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Lactate dehydrogenase is a tetramer built from H (heart) and M (muscle) subunits, giving five isoenzymes. LDH-1 (4H) predominates in heart and red cells, while LDH-2 (3H1M) predominates in normal serum. Step 2: Normally in serum the order is LDH-2 greater than LDH-1. Step 3: After a myocardial infarction, damaged cardiac tissue releases large amounts of LDH-1 into the blood, so the serum ratio reverses and LDH-1 becomes greater than LDH-2. This reversal is the "flip". Step 4: Therefore the flipping effect is correctly written as LDH 1 greater than LDH 2. Options showing LDH-2 greater than LDH-1 describe the normal pattern, and the LDH-2 versus LDH-3 or LDH-3 versus LDH-2 comparisons are irrelevant to the flip.
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