LDH — What It Means in Your Blood Test
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This is an enzyme that leaks out of cells across the body when they are damaged.
Your LDH result acts as a wide net, picking up signals from many places at once. Because so many tissues share it, one value rarely stands alone. Doctors pair it with other findings for meaning.
Also known as: lactate dehydrogenase, lactic acid dehydrogenase, LD, LDH total
This isn't a case where higher or lower is better. Your body keeps it in a narrow band, and both directions can matter.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-16
What is LDH?
Lactate dehydrogenase is an enzyme found inside almost all cells. It leaks into the blood after cells are damaged.
Why is LDH tested?
You may have this test as a broad marker of cell injury. It can rise from the heart, liver, kidneys, red blood cells, or muscle.
What is a normal LDH range?
- India
- No India-specific national reference interval is published for this parameter; your lab's printed range is the most reliable comparison.
- Global
- Adults: 140–280 U/L (ranges vary considerably by laboratory method and temperature)
Ranges vary by lab, method and equipment — the range printed on your own report is the one that applies to your result.
Source: [IFCC, 2002]
What does your LDH value mean?
There is no widely-accepted set of value bands for this parameter. Compare your result with the reference range printed on your own report, and discuss it with your doctor.
What does a high LDH result mean?
A higher LDH points to cell damage somewhere in the body. The sub-type pattern and your symptoms help show which tissue is involved. It is worth discussing with your doctor.
What does a low LDH result mean?
A low LDH is not important and is usually not read into.
What can affect your LDH result?
- Red blood cells breaking during collection can falsely raise LDH
- Liver problems, muscle injury, and blood conditions are common non-heart causes
- LDH stays in the blood longer than CK-MB or troponin, so it lingers after an event
- Hard exercise can briefly raise LDH
- Some cancers and blood disorders go with a markedly high LDH
Questions to ask your doctor
About this result
- What does my LDH result mean for me specifically, given my age and health?
- Is my LDH in the range that is right for me, not just the lab's general range?
What to do next
- Could anything I eat, do, or take have affected my tissue damage enzyme result?
- Is there anything I should do about my LDH, or is it fine to leave as it is?
About retesting
- Does my LDH need to be repeated, and if so, when?
- The typical range for LDH can vary between labs — should I compare my result against my own lab's printed range?
The bigger picture
- Should my LDH be looked at together with my hs-CRP and Homocysteine result?
- Does my LDH connect to any condition I already have, or to anything I have noticed in how I feel?
Frequently asked questions
- What is LDH?
- Lactate dehydrogenase is an enzyme found inside almost all cells. It leaks into the blood after cells are damaged. You may have this test as a broad marker of cell injury. It can rise from the heart, liver, kidneys, red blood cells, or muscle.
- What is a normal tissue damage enzyme range?
- A typical adult range is around Adults: 140–280 U/L (ranges vary considerably by laboratory method and temperature). No India-specific national reference interval is published for this parameter; your lab's printed range is the most reliable comparison. Ranges vary by lab, method and equipment — the range printed on your own report is the one that applies to your result.
- What does a high LDH result mean?
- A higher LDH points to cell damage somewhere in the body. The sub-type pattern and your symptoms help show which tissue is involved. It is worth discussing with your doctor.
- What does a low LDH result mean?
- A low LDH is not important and is usually not read into.
- What can affect your LDH result?
- Several everyday factors can influence it, including Red blood cells breaking during collection can falsely raise LDH, Liver problems, muscle injury, and blood conditions are common non-heart causes, LDH stays in the blood longer than CK-MB or troponin, so it lingers after an event, Hard exercise can briefly raise LDH, Some cancers and blood disorders go with a markedly high LDH.
Sources
- IFCC (2002) — Approved IFCC reference procedure for the catalytic concentration of lactate dehydrogenase
Part of the Cardiac Markers
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