What condition can interfere with the measurement of lactate dehydrogenase (LD)?

Slight hemolysis can interfere with the measurement of lactate dehydrogenase (LD) levels in a sample because LD is predominantly found within red blood cells. When hemolysis occurs, the contents of these cells, including LD, can spill into the serum, leading to artificially elevated LD levels. This can result in misleading diagnostic interpretations, as it may suggest conditions where LD levels are truly elevated due to tissue damage, rather than simply due to hemolysis of the sample.

In contrast, while severe dehydration, hyperlipidemia, and low serum protein levels can affect laboratory results in various ways, they do not have the same direct impact on LD measurement as hemolysis, particularly slight hemolysis. These other conditions may alter the viscosity or composition of the sample, but they do not release LD from cells into the serum. Therefore, slight hemolysis is the most pertinent interference in accurately measuring LD levels.