Understanding Lactate Dehydrogenase

Lactate Dehydrogenase is an important enzyme also known as LDH or LH. It is present in a wide range of organisms and also in plants and animals. Lactate dehydrogenases can be divided into four classes of enzymes. Cytochrome c-dependent enzymes are two of the four enzymes and they act on either D-lactate or L-lactate. NAD(P)-dependent enzymes are rest of the two enzymes that also act on either D-lactate or L-lactate. Every enzyme has an enzyme commission number. The enzyme commission number of lactate dehydrogenase is EC 1.1.1.27, while that of D-lactate or L-lactate is EC 1.1.2.4 and EC 1.1.2.3 respectively.

Medical Uses of Lactate Dehydrogenase

There are several medical uses of lactate dehydrogenase and some of them are pretty important and useful. Lactate dehydrogenase is most commonly used in measuring hemolysis i.e. tissue breakdown. Whenever tissue breakdown occurs, it results in the release of LDH and as a result, LDH is used in its detection. Cancer, meningitis, encephalitis and acute pancreatitis are some of the other disorders that are indicated with the help of lactate dehydrogenase. LDH is present in our RBCs and due to tissue breakdown, there is excess of LDH in our blood. Such high levels of LDH act as an important marker for hemolysis. It is also used in the indication of myocardial infarction. In the case of myocardial infarction, the LDH exponentially increase and remain at high levels for 10 days or so. High levels of LDH act as an important marker for determining myocardial infarction whenever a patient comes to the doctor due to chest pain. In bacterial meningitis, LDH in the cerebrospinal fluid increases and in the case of viral meningitis increase in LDH determines the presence of encephalitis. LDH is also used in the detection of HIV, as high levels of LDH are found in patients suffering from HIV along with respiratory symptoms. LDH is also used in determining dysgerminoma elevated LDH is often seen in such cases.

Other Uses of LDH

LDH is basically used in the determination or indication of acute and chronic tissue damage; however its use isn’t limited to only that. Lactate dehydrogenase is also used in the indication of several other diseases like cerebrovascular accident, hemolytic anemias, pernicious anemias, infectious mononucleosis, intestinal and pulmonary infarction, kidney and liver disease, muscular dystrophy, pancreatitis, testicular cancer and lymphoma.

Understanding LDH Blood Test

It is very important to understand the use of LDH Blood Test as it is very useful in understanding or determining the tissue damage. Lactate dehydrogenase or LDH is an important enzyme and is found in all body tissues. LDH is responsible for the proper cellular respiration. Cellular respiration is defined as the process by which starch and sugar present in our food gets converted into usable energy for our body cells. Blood levels of LDH are pretty low irrespective of the fact that they are present in abundance and this acts as important characteristic of this enzyme in determining various diseases and disorders.

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