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What is creatine kinase?
(April 14, 2010)
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Creatine kinase (CK) is an enzyme that is generally found in the heart, skeletal muscles, and other tissues in the body. These enzymes facilitate the proper functioning of cells and ensure that they function normally. You would normally find three kinds of CK in your body. These three are also referred to as isoenzymes. They are the CK-MM which is found both in your skeletal muscles and heart, THE CK-MB found mainly in your heart, and the CK-BB which is found mainly in the brain. CK is found in small amounts in your blood and this comes from the muscles. The CK present in your brain doesn’t reach your blood.
Your doctor recommends that you get tested for CK mainly to find out if you have had a heart attack and to find out if there is any damage to the muscles in the body. This test is usually recommended if you show some symptoms of a heart attack. This is a very simple test and involves taking a blood sample from the patient’s arm with the help of a needle. No preparation is required before the test which is quite uncomplicated.
If there is some injury to your muscle and heart cells the levels of CK in your blood is found to be high. The first 4-6 hours are when the CK levels begin to rise. 18-24 hours after the attack the CK levels reach the highest point and then get back to normal within 2-3 days. There is a rise in the CK levels when there is some damage to the skeletal muscles as well.
If you have high CK levels that keep increasing in subsequent checkups, it usually means that there is some damage to your heart. This is indication also that your muscles are being heavily used. Your doctor would then suggest that you go in for a troponin test to see if there is any damage to your heart.
You should also know that if you have greater muscle mass the CK levels would be higher as compared with those who don’t. CK levels can also rise when you have suffered a fall, been in a car accident or have taken some kind of shot or injection. A couple of drugs are also known to cause damage to the muscle and in turn increase your CK. It is best to let your doctor know that you are on drugs so that he can take the necessary precautions for the same. If you drink too much alcohol it could increase the levels of CK as well.
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Submitted by M T on April 14, 2010 at 01:25
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