Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)
MetabolismLDH is an enzyme present in most tissues and released when cells are damaged.
Why this matters
Increased levels may indicate liver injury, hemolysis, inflammation, or broader tissue damage. It is a nonspecific but valuable indicator of systemic stress.
How this connects to other biomarkers
- Total LDH is non-specific (it rises with damage to many tissues); pattern recognition relies on companion markers and isoenzyme analysis (LDH-1 (LDH Isoenzyme 1) through LDH-5 (LDH Isoenzyme 5)).
- Elevated LDH with low haptoglobin and elevated Bilirubin, indirect confirms red blood cells breaking down (hemolysis). With elevated Aspartat-Aminotransferase (ASAT) / Alanine Aminotransferase (ALAT) points to liver injury, while concurrent rise with Total Creatine Kinase (CK) and Myoglobin localizes the source to muscle.
- Markedly elevated LDH without these patterns can signal lymphoma, blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism), or aggressive cancer.
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