Lactate dehydrogenase deficiency is a condition that affects how the body breaks down sugar to use as energy in cells, primarily muscle cells.

Mutations in the LDHA gene cause lactate dehydrogenase-A deficiency, and mutations in the LDHB gene cause lactate dehydrogenase-B deficiency. These genes provide instructions for making the lactate dehydrogenase-A and lactate dehydrogenase-B pieces (subunits) of the lactate dehydrogenase enzyme. This enzyme is found throughout the body and is important for creating energy for cells. There are five different forms of this enzyme, each made up of four protein subunits. Various combinations of the lactate dehydrogenase-A and lactate dehydrogenase-B subunits make up the different forms of the enzyme.

Lactate dehydrogenase deficiency is a rare disorder. In Japan, this condition affects 1 in 1 million individuals; the prevalence of lactate dehydrogenase deficiency in other countries is unknown.

This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but they typically do not show signs and symptoms of the condition.

Published Date: February 01, 2012
Published By: National Institutes of Health