ABSTRACT
The present study was carried out to evaluate the usefulness of Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzymes in the diagnosis in tuberculous meningitis (TBM), pyogenic meningitis (PM), viral encephalitis (VE) and hydrocephalus (HC). A characteristic dominance of isoenzymes in cerebrospinal fluid was observed: LDH4 in TBM while LDH3 in PM. However, in VE and HC, LDH2 and LDH1 were dominant respectively. The control subjects revealed the presence of isoenzymes LDH1 and LDH2 in very low concentrations. Pattern of LDH isoenzymes in CSF may serve as a diagnostic tool to differentiate these neurological disorders.
Subject(s)
Cerebrospinal Fluid/enzymology , Diagnosis, Differential , Electrophoresis, Agar Gel , Humans , IsoenzymesABSTRACT
Different parameters in CSF which are routinely investigated for the diagnosis and prognosis of neurological disorders do not provide confirmation to the type of neurological disorder. The rise in protein level in CSF was found to be nonspecific and estimation of glucose and chloride in CSF has lost its significance. Therefore, determination of concentration of CSF cholesterol and triglycerides may aid in the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis, pyogenic meningitis, viral encephalitis and hydrocephalus. The mechanism by which the levels of CSF cholesterol end triglycerides are altered in neurological disorders is not known. The rise cholesterol and triglycerides levels in CSF may be due to increased activity of brain cells or by altered function of blood brain barrier.