Creatine Kinase (CK) Test
The Test Sample
What is being tested?
Creatine kinase is an enzyme found in the heart, brain, and skeletal muscle. Enzymes are proteins that help cells perform their normal functions. In muscle, for example, CK helps cells make the energy needed to move. CK occurs in three major forms, called isoenzymes:
- CK-MB (found mostly in your heart muscle),
- CK-BB (found mostly in your brain), and
- CK-MM (found in your heart and other muscles).
CK in the blood comes mainly from your muscles. The CK in your brain almost never gets into the blood.
How is the sample collected for testing?
A blood sample is taken by needle from the arm.
NOTE: If undergoing medical tests makes you or someone you care for anxious, embarrassed, or even difficult to manage, you might consider reading one or more of the following articles: Coping with Test Pain, Discomfort, and Anxiety, Tips on Blood Testing, Tips to Help Children through Their Medical Tests, and Tips to Help the Elderly through Their Medical Tests.
Another article, Follow That Sample, provides a glimpse at the collection and processing of a blood sample and throat culture.
If you don't know what a word or a medical term means, try the
Mondofacto Online Medical Dictionary
.
