what is lactate dehydrogenase enzyme Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is an enzyme required during the process of turning sugar into energy for your cells. LDH is present in many kinds of organs and tissues throughout the body, including the liver, heart, pancreas, kidneys, skeletal muscles, lymph tissue, and blood cells.

What are the types of LDH isoenzymes? There are five different forms of LDH that are called isoenzymes. They are distinguished by slight differences in their structure. The isoenzymes of LDH are LDH-1, LDH-2, LDH-3, LDH-4, and LDH-5.

LDH found in different body tissues LDH-1: heart and red blood cells LDH-2: heart and red blood cells LDH-3: lymph tissue, lungs, platelets, pancreas LDH-4: liver and skeletal muscle LDH-5: liver and skeletal muscls

What causes high LDH levels? Because LDH is present in so many types of cells, high levels of LDH may indicate a number of conditions. Elevated levels of LDH can include: 1-blood flow deficiency 2-heart attack 3-pancreatitis 4-muscle injury

clinical importance LDH test : Doctors normally measure LDH levels in the blood. In some conditions, doctors may measure LDH levels in the urine or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

What do the test results mean? LDH levels vary based on age and the individual laboratory. Infants and young children will have much higher normal LDH levels than older children or adults. LDH is often reported in units per liter (U/L).

High LDH levels High levels of LDH indicate some form of tissue damage. High levels of more than one isoenzyme may indicate more than one cause of tissue damage. For example, a patient with pneumonia could also have a heart attack. Extremely high levels of LDH could indicate severe disease or multiple organ failure.pneumoniaheart attack

Low LDH levels LDH deficiency affects how the body breaks down sugar for use as energy in cells, particularly muscle cells. It’s very rare for a person to have low LDH levels.

Outlook Measuring LDH can be a useful tool for doctors when evaluating and treating certain medical conditions. Normal ranges vary with age. As scientists continue to learn more about the role of LDH in the body, the usefulness of monitoring LDH levels in certain diseases and conditions will likely increase.

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