What Are the Causes of Elevated Creatine Kinase (CK) Levels?

Update Date: 2024-05-23 Source: Network

Enzymes are a very special type of substance in the human body, with many classifications and different functions within the body. Creatine kinase, abbreviated as CK, plays an important role in the diagnosis of skeletal muscle diseases and myocardial diseases, and can increase or decrease. When it increases, there can be multiple reasons, and it is important to quickly determine the cause. So, what are the reasons for elevated creatine kinase (CK)? Let's take a look.

1. What are the reasons for elevated creatine kinase (CK)?

Creatine kinase, also known as creatine phosphokinase, is present in high concentrations in skeletal muscle, myocardial muscle, and smooth muscle, followed by the brain tissue, with lower concentrations in the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and kidneys. It is mainly located in the cytoplasm and mitochondria and is an important kinase directly related to intracellular energy transfer, muscle contraction, and ATP regeneration. The measurement of creatine kinase activity can be used for the diagnosis of skeletal muscle diseases and myocardial diseases.

(1) Physiological increase:

Exercise can lead to a significant increase in creatine kinase, and the more intense and longer the exercise, the more obvious the increase in creatine kinase.
The activity of creatine kinase in the serum of parturients and newborns is higher than the normal value.
Some treatment and diagnostic measures, such as the installation of artificial heart pacemakers, electric shock, radiotherapy, cardiac compression, cardiac catheterization, and urinary system examination, can increase the activity of creatine kinase in the serum.
Male muscles have a larger capacity, and the activity of creatine kinase in the serum is higher than in females.
Intramuscular injection of certain drugs (such as anesthetics, analgesics, antibiotics, dexamethasone, etc.) can lead to an increase in the activity of creatine kinase in the serum.
Oral administration of certain drugs, such as clofibrate, can increase the activity of creatine kinase in the serum.

(2) Pathological increase: myocardial infarction, viral myocarditis, dermatomyositis, muscular dystrophy, pericarditis, cerebrovascular accidents, etc.

2. Reference range for normal creatine kinase values

The normal reference range for serum creatine kinase is 18.0 to 198.0 U/L.