Creatine Kinase is essentially an enzyme that is located in a number of tissues in the human body, including the muscle and the brain. There are three types of Creatine Kinase in our bodies and they are: the CK – MB which is primarily produced by the heart muscle, the CK – BB which is produced by the brain and smooth muscle tissue as well as the CK – MM, which is produced by the skeletal muscles. Under normal circumstances, the blood has very little amount of creatine kinase circulating on average and the CK test is very useful in order to properly gauge the level one is at with regards to CK level in the body.
CK levels are known to be significantly higher when affected by conditions such as myocardial infarction, crushing muscular trauma, hypothyroidism, hypokalemia and brain injury, amongst a few others. A CK test, along with a number of other combinations will help correctly diagnose each condition. Read more about creatine kinase test
The CK levels within the body rise significantly whenever any heart or muscle cells are injured and a CK test may also be required if you suffer from any symptoms of a heart attack. The CK test is also usually administered in the first 4 to 6 hours after a heart attack as the volume of CK in the blood begins to rise. This volume usually reaches its peak about 18 to 24 hours after the heart attack, but returns to normal in about 2 or 3 days. Patients who have suffered from a heart attack will usually be tested three times over the course of the day with a 4 to 6 hour interval between each test.
A CK-MB Test is performed much like any other blood test and a sample of blood is drawn from the patient. Before the sample is taken, the area around the vein is cleaned with an alcohol pad and a leather strap tied at the top of the arm to restrict circulation and cause the vein to swell up. Once this happens, the doctor injects a syringe and draws some amount of blood. On withdrawal of the syringe, a cotton swab is placed and pressed into the skin in order to speed up the healing process. This blood sample is then sent over to the lab for analysis after which a report is sent to the doctor for review.