An LDH test costs Rs 525 at Marham Lab, down from Rs 750, and Rs 720 at Chughtai Lab. MedlinePlus explains lactate dehydrogenase is an enzyme found in almost all tissues, released into the blood when disease or injury damages them. It also states an LDH test alone cannot show what is damaging your tissues or where, so it is usually done with other tests.
Prices are as listed on Marham, checked on 5 October 2026.
How booking works
1. Tap Book
LDH (Serum) is added to your booking for you.
2. Pick a time
Give your address in Lahore and choose a collection day and time.
3. Sample at home
A phlebotomist comes to your address and takes the sample.
4. Get your report
Your report is ready in the time shown above, and you can see it in your Marham account.
What is the LDH (Serum) test?
LDH stands for lactate dehydrogenase, also written as lactic acid dehydrogenase. MedlinePlus explains that it is an enzyme which helps your cells make energy, and that it is found in almost all the tissues in your body, with the largest amounts in your muscles, liver, kidneys and red blood cells. At Marham Lab an LDH test costs Rs 525, reduced from Rs 750.
LDH Says Damage Happened, Not Where
This is the defining limitation of the test and the reason it is almost never ordered alone.
MedlinePlus explains that if disease or injury damages tissues containing LDH, the cells release the enzyme into your bloodstream. It is normal to have some LDH in your blood, and a high level may signal disease or injury.
It then states the key caveat: an LDH test alone cannot show what is damaging your tissues or where the damage is located. For that reason, MedlinePlus notes an LDH test is usually done with other tests that can help diagnose the problem.
So a raised LDH is a flag, not an answer. It tells your doctor something is breaking down somewhere and to keep looking.
A High Result Has Innocent Explanations Too
MedlinePlus states that a higher than normal LDH usually means some type of tissue damage, typically from disease, infection or injury, and that your provider may order more tests.
It then lists the things that raise LDH without any medical condition.
Intense exercise
Certain medicines, including aspirin
Red blood cells breaking open during sample collection and testing
That last one deserves attention because it is a laboratory artefact rather than anything happening in your body. A difficult blood draw can produce a falsely high LDH. If your result is unexpectedly high and you felt the sample was hard to take, it is reasonable to ask your doctor whether it should be repeated.
A hard workout in the day or two before the test is the other common explanation worth avoiding.
Low LDH Is Rarely a Problem
MedlinePlus notes that lower than normal LDH levels are not common and usually are not considered a health problem. It lists two causes: taking large amounts of vitamin C or vitamin E, and a rare genetic disorder called lactate dehydrogenase deficiency.
If your result is low and you take high dose vitamin supplements, mention them.
What It Is Used For
MedlinePlus says LDH is mainly used to check for tissue damage, and that because many sudden and long lasting conditions damage tissue, the test is used in situations ranging from bone and muscle injuries to monitoring cancer treatment.
Use
Detail from MedlinePlus
Diagnosing or monitoring organ disease
Blood including anaemia, liver, lungs, kidneys, heart including heart attack, pancreas, and brain and spinal cord conditions such as encephalitis and bacterial meningitis
Monitoring conditions that worsen over time
Muscular dystrophy and HIV
Diagnosing certain severe infections
Staging certain cancers
Multiple myeloma, lymphoma, leukaemia, testicular cancer and melanoma
Checking cancer treatment
Whether treatment for certain cancers is working
Because the list is so broad, MedlinePlus advises asking your provider specifically why you need the test. In general it is ordered when other tests or your symptoms already suggest tissue damage or disease.
The Follow Up Test That Localises the Damage
Worth knowing if your result comes back high.
MedlinePlus explains that if LDH is higher than normal, your provider may order a more specific test called an LDH isoenzyme test. It measures the levels of five different forms of LDH, which helps your provider work out the type of tissue that is damaged, where in the body it may be, and how serious the damage may be.
That is the test that answers the question a plain LDH cannot.
Other Sample Types
MedlinePlus notes that in certain cases LDH is measured in other body fluids: cerebrospinal fluid from the spine, peritoneal fluid from the belly, and pleural fluid from the chest. These need a procedure to collect, namely a lumbar puncture, a thoracentesis, or a paracentesis, and are done in hospital rather than at a collection point. The blood test is what we list here.
How to Prepare
MedlinePlus states you do not need any special preparations for an LDH blood test. No fasting is required.
Two practical points follow from the list above. Avoid intense exercise in the day or two before the sample, and tell your doctor about any aspirin or high dose vitamin C or E you take.
What Happens During the Test
A trained phlebotomist takes a small blood sample from a vein in your arm using a small needle. MedlinePlus notes it usually takes less than five minutes and that you may feel a little sting as the needle goes in or out. There is very little risk beyond slight pain or bruising, which settles quickly. In Lahore the sample can be collected at your home at no extra cost.
Final Thoughts
LDH is a cheap, broad signal that tissue somewhere is being damaged, and that is both its use and its limit. It cannot name the organ or the cause, so it belongs alongside other tests rather than on its own. Before you read too much into a high figure, rule out the ordinary explanations: a hard workout, regular aspirin, or red cells that broke open during the draw. If the level is genuinely raised, the isoenzyme test is what locates the problem.
Common questions
An LDH test costs Rs 525 at Marham Lab, reduced from Rs 750, with free home sample collection in Lahore. The same test at Chughtai Lab is Rs 720. It is billed as LDH, LD, lactate dehydrogenase or lactic acid dehydrogenase, and the price does not change with the name. The report is ready the same day.
MedlinePlus states that a higher than normal LDH usually means some type of tissue damage, typically from disease, infection or injury, and that more tests are usually needed. It is clear that an LDH test alone cannot show what is damaging your tissues or where the damage is located. It also notes high levels can be caused by intense exercise, certain medicines including aspirin, and red blood cells breaking open during sample collection.
Yes. MedlinePlus notes it is possible to have a high LDH level if many red blood cells broke open when your sample was collected and tested, which is a laboratory artefact rather than anything happening in your body. Intense exercise and medicines including aspirin also raise it. If your result is unexpectedly high and the blood draw was difficult, it is reasonable to ask your doctor whether the test should be repeated.
It is the follow up test that localises the damage. MedlinePlus explains that if your LDH is higher than normal your provider may order an LDH isoenzyme test, which measures the levels of five different forms of LDH. That information helps your provider find out the type of tissue that is damaged, where in the body it may be, and how serious the damage may be. A plain LDH cannot answer those questions.
No. MedlinePlus states you do not need any special preparations for an LDH blood test. Two practical points still help. Avoid intense exercise in the day or two beforehand, since MedlinePlus lists it as a cause of raised LDH. And tell your doctor about any aspirin or high dose vitamin C or E you take, since aspirin can raise LDH and large amounts of those vitamins can lower it.
اردو میں
ایل ڈی ایچ ایک انزائم ہے جو خلیوں کو توانائی بنانے میں مدد دیتا ہے۔ یہ جسم کے تقریباً تمام بافتوں میں پایا جاتا ہے، سب سے زیادہ پٹھوں، جگر، گردوں اور خون کے سرخ خلیوں میں۔ جب کسی بیماری یا چوٹ سے بافتوں کو نقصان پہنچتا ہے تو یہ خون میں خارج ہونے لگتا ہے۔
سب سے اہم بات یہ ہے۔ عالمی طبی معلومات کے مطابق اکیلا ایل ڈی ایچ ٹیسٹ یہ نہیں بتا سکتا کہ نقصان کس چیز سے ہوا ہے یا جسم کے کس حصے میں ہوا ہے۔ اسی لیے یہ ٹیسٹ عام طور پر دوسرے ٹیسٹوں کے ساتھ کروایا جاتا ہے۔ یعنی رپورٹ زیادہ آنا ایک اشارہ ہے، جواب نہیں۔
رپورٹ زیادہ آنے کی بے ضرر وجوہات بھی ہوتی ہیں۔ سخت ورزش، کچھ دوائیں بشمول اسپرین، اور ایک لیبارٹری کی وجہ، یعنی نمونہ لینے کے دوران خون کے سرخ خلیوں کا ٹوٹ جانا۔ اگر نمونہ لینے میں مشکل ہوئی ہو اور رپورٹ غیر متوقع طور پر زیادہ آئے تو ڈاکٹر سے دوبارہ ٹیسٹ کے بارے میں پوچھ سکتے ہیں۔
مقدار کم ہونا عام نہیں اور عام طور پر یہ کوئی مسئلہ نہیں سمجھا جاتا۔ وٹامن سی یا وٹامن ای کی زیادہ مقدار لینے سے ایسا ہو سکتا ہے۔
یہ ٹیسٹ خون، جگر، پھیپھڑوں، گردوں، دل، لبلبے اور دماغ کی بیماریوں میں استعمال ہوتا ہے، اور بعض کینسروں کی شدت جانچنے اور ان کے علاج کا اثر دیکھنے کے لیے بھی۔
اگر رپورٹ زیادہ آئے تو ڈاکٹر ایل ڈی ایچ آئسو انزائم ٹیسٹ تجویز کر سکتے ہیں، جو اس کی پانچ مختلف اقسام ناپ کر بتاتا ہے کہ نقصان کس قسم کے بافت میں اور کہاں ہوا ہے۔
ٹیسٹ سے پہلے کوئی خاص تیاری نہیں چاہیے۔ البتہ ایک دو دن پہلے سخت ورزش سے گریز کریں اور اسپرین یا وٹامن کی زیادہ خوراک کے بارے میں ڈاکٹر کو بتائیں۔ مرہم لیب میں اس ٹیسٹ کی قیمت پانچ سو پچیس روپے ہے اور لاہور میں گھر سے نمونہ لینے کی سہولت مفت ہے۔
