Investigating Serum LDH in Iraqi Patients Undergoing Dialysis for Chronic Kidney Disease

Abstract

Background:    Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has emerged as a prominent cause of mortality, following cardiac disease and cancer, exhibiting a substantial surge over the past two decades. One biochemical indicator that reflects cellular damage is lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), a key intracellular enzyme involved in the interconversion of pyruvate and lactate during glycolysis. Under normal conditions, LDH remains confined within cells; however, tissue damage can lead to its release into the bloodstream, resulting in elevated serum levels.
Objective:    To assess the LDH in CKD patients compared with healthy control.
Methods:    A total forty (40) patient with CKD were studied among them twenty (20) female and twenty (20) male patients and forty (40) healthy as controls, of them were eighteen (18) females and twenty-two (22) males. Their ages (patients and controls) were ranged from (18-70). Blood samples were collected from patients and control to evaluate serum levels of serum LDH and evaluate the routine markers (urea, creatinine, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and this was done by spectrophotometry.
Results:    This result showed the LDH levels in the patients were significantly higher (224.64±113.39 U/L) than in the control group (176.26±38.99 U/L) (P = 0.014). ALT and AST levels in the patients were lower than in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant for ALT (P = 0.132) and was significant for AST (P = 0.03). The urea, and serum creatinine levels in the patients were all significantly higher than in the control group (P <0.001).
Conclusion:    Serum LDH levels were significantly elevated in CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis compared to healthy controls, suggesting that LDH may serve as a useful biomarker for tissue damage and disease severity in patients with CKD.
Keywords:    Chronic kidney disease, lactate dehydrogenase, hemodialysis.
Citation:    Saleem AA, Hamza MI. Investigating serum LDH in Iraqi patients undergoing dialysis for chronic kidney disease. Iraqi JMS. 2025; 23(2): 229-236. doi: 10.22578/IJMS.23.2.5