Creatine Kinase

What is Creatine Kinase (CK)?

Creatine kinase (CK) is an enzyme found in the heart, brain, skeletal muscle and other bodily tissues.  CK increases in the blood in the presence of muscle damage. This test measures blood levels of creatine kinase.

Why test Creatine Kinase?

Creatine kinase can detect and monitor muscle damage, if you have muscle weakness, muscle aches, or dark urine or a healthcare practitioner suspects muscle damage. This test is also sometimes used in the case of persistent muscle injury.

What Causes Low Creatine Kinase?

Causes of low or lower creatine kinase can include muscle atrophy due to lack of exercise, malnutrition (especially protein insufficiency), extreme weight loss, liver problems, shock, dehydration, illness or ageing, inflammation in autoimmune disease, pregnancy, and some types of cancer.

Symptoms of low creatine kinase

Low creatine kinase (CK) levels are generally not associated with specific symptoms and are often not clinically significant. They might indicate decreased muscle mass or atrophy due to aging, chronic illness, or inactivity, and occasionally point to genetic disorders affecting muscle metabolism. Regular monitoring helps correlate CK levels with overall health status.

What Causes High Creatine Kinase?

When muscle tissues are damaged, creatine kinase seeps into the blood. Thus, high blood levels of creatine kinase indicate tissue damage from e.g. stroke, heart attack or injury, but not the cause of the damage.  Moderately increased CK levels can be normal in African populations and temorarily after strenuous exercise.

Healthy people sometimes have higher CK levels. Exercise and medicines can temporarily elevate levels. Underlying health problems that can increase creatine kinase are many and range from hypothermia to diabetes.

A value of 100 times normal levels is a sign of rhabdomyolysis. Normal CK levels may indicate that there has not been muscle damage or that it occurred several days before testing. People of African descent can have significantly higher CK levels than other populations.

Symptoms of high creatine kinase

High creatine kinase levels typically indicate muscle damage or stress, leading to several symptoms. These can include muscle pain, tenderness, and swelling, often accompanied by weakness or difficulty moving the affected muscles. In severe cases, individuals might experience dark urine, a sign of muscle protein breakdown affecting the kidneys. High creatine kinase levels can result from intense physical activity, muscle injuries, heart attacks, or conditions like rhabdomyolysis, necessitating prompt medical attention to address the underlying cause.

Preparations for this test
No preparation is needed for this test.

On the day of the test
Always take I.D. with you when going to take a test. Arrive early and sit for 15 minutes before taking a test.

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