What is Lactate Dehydrogenase?
Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) plays a part in converting sugar to energy on a cellular level. LDH is found in all tissues of the body so damage to tissues causes more LDH to release into the bloodstream and blood elevations rise. Heart attack, liver disease, cancer and bone fractures are just a few of the conditions that can cause LDH levels to rise. If the LDH test shows elevated levels of the enzyme in the blood, an LDH isoenzyme test is then ordered to track down a specific location for the damage. The LDH isoenzymes test measures levels of five different LDH enzymes. Each specific enzyme is found in different levels in specific parts of the body. If one enzyme is elevated more than the rest, doctors have a better understanding of where damage is occurring.

Normal Value Range

• Negative Pregnancy Adult: 115 to 211 U/L or 1.9 to 3.5 µkat/L
• Pregnancy Trimester One: 78 to 433 U/L or 1.3 to 7.2 µkat/L
• Pregnancy Trimester Two: 80 to 447 U/L or 1.3 to 7.5 µkat/L
• Pregnancy Trimester Three: 82 to 524 U/L or 1.4 to 8.8 µkat/L

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