Useful For

Blood levels may be elevated due to trauma, surgery, myocardial infarction and loss of blood supply to any muscle, myopathic disorders of any cause (e.g., rhabdomyolysis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, myocarditis, alcoholism), muscular dystrophies of all types (especially Duchenne dystrophy in early stages).  Reye syndrome, poisoning with coma, malignant hyperpyrexia and prolonged hypothermia, hypothyroidism, infectious diseases (e.g., typhoid fever), arrhythmias (infrequently), direct-current countershock, congestive heart failure, tachycardia, pulmonary emboli, tetanus, generalized convulsions, extensive brain infarction (may mask concomitant MI).  Lower than normal values probably have no meaning but reflect either small muscle mass, sedentary lifestyle or both.  Bedrest, even overnight, can lower CK activity by 20% or more.  Most increases relate to skeletal muscle or heart, rarely to diseases of smooth muscle.
 

Recommend Troponin (TROP) for the evaluation of cardiac disease when total CK is elevated.

Troponin (cTaI) is much more specific for cardiac necrosis than CKMB.