Volume 21 Issue 3

Salivary Lactate Dehydrogenase as a Screening Tool for Perinatal Asphyxia: A Case–Control Study

Subash Chandra Majhi, Nihar Ranjan Mishra, Durgadatta Pattanayak, Arpita Pradhan, Bijan Kumar Nayak

Abstract

Background: The outcome of a neonate with perinatal asphyxia depends on early diagnosis and treatment. Till date there is only 1 study that discusses the utility of salivary lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the early detection of perinatal asphyxia.

Aim: To evaluate the diagnostic utility of salivary LDH in the diagnosis of perinatal asphyxia

Materials and Methods: This observational, analytical, matched case–control study was conducted over 2 years and included 460 cases and 920 controls. LDH was estimated using saliva samples collected within 24 hours of birth. All the data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.

Results: The cutoff value of salivary LDH was determined as 156 IU/L, with a sensitivity of 86%, specificity of 93.9%, and area under curve of 97.4% (92%–99.5%). The diagnostic accuracy of salivary LDH was found to be 91.30%, with a sensitivity of 88.5%, specificity of 94%, positive predictive value of 88%, and negative predictive value of 94%.

Conclusion: The estimation of salivary LDH in neonates could serve as an effective screening tool for the early diagnosis of perinatal asphyxia.

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