At a glance
| Analyte | Lactate dehydrogenase |
|---|---|
| Also called | LD, Lactate dehydrogenase |
| Method | Kinetic UV |
| Sample type | Serum, Plasma |
| Panel | Cardiac and general |
| Discipline | Clinical chemistry |
| Brand | Mindray |
What LDH measures
Lactate dehydrogenase is found in nearly every cell in the body, so it is released whenever tissue is damaged and a raised level indicates cell turnover or injury without saying where. That lack of specificity is not a defect so much as a description of its role: it is used as a general marker of tissue damage and cell turnover, in the assessment of haemolysis, in some haematological and oncological contexts where it reflects disease activity, and in the analysis of body fluids to help distinguish an exudate from a transudate. It is also abundant in red cells, so like AST it is falsely raised by a haemolysed specimen, and the sample condition is part of interpreting the number.
How Philippine laboratories run it
LDH sits at a lower and steadier volume than the liver and lipid assays in most Philippine laboratories, appearing in haematology and oncology workups and in fluid analysis rather than in routine screening panels, so it should be scheduled from its own history rather than scaled from the panel count. Where a laboratory serves an oncology service it is requested repeatedly on the same patients. The haemolysis caveat is worth flagging to collection staff alongside the one for SGOT, since both assays are affected by the same pre-analytical problem for the same reason.
Analyzers it runs on
Calibrator, controls and companion tests
Delivered with its calibrator, both control levels and the rest of the cardiac and general panel, on the same schedule as LDH.
Storage and handling
Refrigerated and kept closed when off the analyzer.
Buying LDH in the Philippines
LDH is supplied for the BS-600M, BS-430, BS-360E, BS-240Pro, BS-230 and BA-88A. We deliver it with Multi-Sera Calibrator and Chemistry Control Level 1, because a run held up waiting on a separate order costs the same shift a stock-out does. Delivery is scheduled against your monthly LDH count, so the bench is not rationing tests in the last week of the month. How we plan clinical chemistry supply.
Questions about LDH
Why is a raised LDH so hard to interpret?
Because the enzyme is present in almost every tissue, so an elevation says that cells somewhere are being damaged or turning over quickly without indicating which cells. It is useful as a sensitive general marker and in specific contexts such as haemolysis or fluid analysis, but on its own it does not localise anything, and it is always read alongside the rest of the picture.
Order LDH
Tell us your monthly LDH volume and we will quote a supply schedule for BS-600M. We reply within one business day.
Request a quotation