Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes is a chronic disease and usually is associated with inflammatory conditions. Although assessment of inflammatory markers such lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is not likely to be conducted in routine practice, it can help in monitoring disease progress. Aim: The main objectives of the present study are to assess the levels of LDH among diabetic patients treated in the outpatient clinics at King Hussein Medical Center, and to investigate the relationships between the levels of LDH and other variables such as age, gender, BMI, and glucose levels. Methods::A retrospective study was conducted to collect data from files of diabetic patients. A total of 62 files were selected. Files of diabetic patients were included if complete information including LDH are included. An excel sheet was used to enter the raw data for all patients. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Data were presented as means, standard deviations, frequencies and percentages. The relationships between variables were computed using T test, and Chi-square. The significance will be considered at p ≤ 0.05. Results: The mean age was 75±12 years. About 53% of participants were males. The mean of BMI was 31.47±20.90 kg/m2. The mean glucose level was 239±85 mg/dl. The mean level of LDH was 328.34±78 U/L. There was a significant association between the level of LDH and study variables. Gender had no significant impacts on the levels of LH and other study variables. Conclusion: Determination of the level of LDH helps in assessment of progression of diabetes and it is recommended to be performed clinically in routine practice.

Key words: diabetes type 2, LDH, glucose, BMI, age