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Review
. 2020 Sep;38(9):1722-1726.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.05.073. Epub 2020 May 27.

Lactate dehydrogenase levels predict coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity and mortality: A pooled analysis

Brandon Michael Henry  1 , Gaurav Aggarwal  2 , Johnny Wong  3 , Stefanie Benoit  4 , Jens Vikse  5 , Mario Plebani  6 , Giuseppe Lippi  7
Affiliations
Free PMC article
Review

Lactate dehydrogenase levels predict coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity and mortality: A pooled analysis

Brandon Michael Henry et al. Am J Emerg Med. 2020 Sep.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has now reached a pandemic state, affecting more than a million patients worldwide. Predictors of disease outcomes in these patients need to be urgently assessed to decrease morbidity and societal burden. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has been associated with worse outcomes in patients with viral infections. In this pooled analysis of 9 published studies (n = 1532 COVID-19 patients), we evaluated the association between elevated LDH levels measured at earliest time point in hospitalization and disease outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Elevated LDH levels were associated with a ~6-fold increase in odds of developing severe disease and a ~16-fold increase in odds of mortality in patients with COVID-19. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Lactate dehydrogenase.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA Flow diagram.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plots demonstrating association of elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels with disease severity (panel A) and mortality (panel B) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 infection.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Meta-regression plot showing no impact of age on association of elevated LDH levels and severity of disease in patients with COVID-19 infection.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Funnel plot demonstrating publication bias for studies evaluating association of elevated LDH levels and severity of disease in patients with COVID-19 infection.
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