Lactate dehydrogenase

A lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) test usually measures the level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in a sample of your blood. In certain cases, LDH levels are measured in samples of other body fluids. This includes testing fluid from the spine (cerebrospinal fluid), the belly (peritoneal fluid), and the chest (pleural fluid).

LDH is mainly used to check for tissue damage. Many types of acute (sudden) and chronic (long-lasting) conditions can damage tissues and cause high LDH levels. So LDH testing may be used in many different situations from bone and muscle injuries to monitoring treatment for cancer.