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Creatine kinase test
Make it clearer
The creatine kinase test, abbreviated CK, is a blood measurement. What it counts is how much creatine kinase is circulating; this is an enzyme, a protein that does its work inside muscle cells, which is where it normally stays.
When muscle gets injured, that enzyme can leak out of the cells and into the blood, like a torn sack spilling what it was holding along the way. The more creatine kinase has escaped, the higher the number the test reports.
In brief
A test for creatine kinase, or CK, measures the amount of this enzyme in the blood.
When muscle is injured, creatine kinase can leak out of the cells and into the blood. That release raises the measured level.
Sources (1)
- U.S. National Library of MedicineCreatine KinasePublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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