Creatine kinase (CK)

Creatine kinase is an enzyme that is mainly present in skeletal muscle tissue and cardiac muscle and converts creatine into phosphocreatine, generating energy that is easily utilised by the body. This test is useful in the diagnosis of diseases related to muscle damage and is also used to ascertain whether or not the patient has had a heart attack.

The presence of an elevated CK value can result from a variety of heterogeneous causes such as: myocardial infarction, muscle fatigue (after intense exercise), epileptic seizures, rare muscle diseases (e.g. dystrophy), trauma, etc.