Determination of Lactic Dehydrogenase Level in Cerebrospinal Fluid in Neonates

Levels of lactic dehydrogenase(LDH) in the cerebrospinal Fluid(CSF) have been used to evaluate a variety of neurologic disorders. However, few studies have been performed on neonates. The aim of this study was to detect levels of this enzyme in normal neonates. Patients and In this descriptive study, CSF samples were collected from 94 febrile infants 46 aged 0-4 weeks and 48 aged 5-8 weeks. These LDH levels were compared to those of 45 febrile infants with mean age of 10±6/2 months who were suspected of nervous system infection and normal CSF findings. Mean total LDH activity in the CSF was significantly higher in the first month of life than in the second month of life as compared with the control group(p<0.001). We propose evaluation of total LDH activity in CSF of normal neonates according to age.