Lactate dehydrogenase
An enzyme released when cells of many kinds are damaged or turning over quickly.
What it is
Lactate dehydrogenase is found in muscle, red cells, liver and many other tissues, so a raised level signals cell turnover somewhere without naming the tissue. Sample handling matters: red cells breaking in the tube falsely raise it.
Why it matters
LDH is a general marker read with the picture around it - muscle enzymes, liver tests and the blood count - rather than on its own.
This guide is educational only and cannot diagnose you. Discuss results, especially anything outside your laboratory’s reference interval, or that does not match how you feel, with a GP or other appropriately qualified clinician.
This guide is educational only and cannot diagnose you. Discuss results, especially anything outside your laboratory’s reference interval, or that does not match how you feel, with a GP or other appropriately qualified clinician.
How it affects the body
LDH helps cells make energy without oxygen; levels in blood rise when cells release their contents.
For athletes
Very hard sessions can raise LDH alongside creatine kinase; timing bloods away from heavy training gives a cleaner baseline.
Related tests
No published panels currently list this marker.