ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Rheumatology
Evaluating the Value of Lactic Dehydrogenase in Anti-MDA5-positive Dermatomyositis Associated with Interstitial Lung Disease
Wenhan Huang 1
Feifeng Ren 2
Kechen Qian 2
Yanqiu Jiang 2
Yichen Zhang 2
Lin Tang 2
1. Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
2. The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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Abstract
Objective: This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate the relationship between lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 antibodies-positive dermatomyositis (anti-MDA5-positive DM) complicated by interstitial lung disease (ILD). Method: 168 anti-MDA5-positive DM patients with ILD underwent comprehensive evaluation, including LDH, anti-Ro-52 antibodies, serum ferritin determination, and lung high-resolution CT. Results: The level of LDH were significantly elevated in anti-MDA5-positive DM patients compared with control group (p<0.01). Anti-Ro-52-positive patients demonstrated significantly higher LDH levels compared to anti-Ro-52-negative patients (p<0.01). Patients with elevated serum ferritin exhibited markedly increased LDH levels compared with those with lower serum ferritin (p<0.01). After treatment, LDH levels significantly increased in patients with ILD deterioration (p<0.01), whereas LDH decreased in patients with ILD amelioration or stabilization (p<0.01). The LDH levels were significantly elevated in the death group compared to the survival group before treatment (p=0.02). Conclusion: 1. The LDH levels were affected by anti-Ro-52 antibodies and serum ferritin. 2. The ILD severity of anti-MDA5-positive DM patients positively correlated with LDH, suggesting that LDH might serve as an effective assessment indicator to evaluate the changes in ILD in these patients. 3. Elevated LDH levels were a crucial indicator of poor prognosis in anti-MDA5-positive DM patients, warranting close attention from rheumatologists.
Summary
Keywords
anti-MDA5-positive DM, anti-Ro-52 antibodies, Interstitial Lung Disease, Lactic dehydrogenase, Serum ferritin
Received
14 December 2025
Accepted
30 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Huang, Ren, Qian, Jiang, Zhang and Tang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Wenhan Huang
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