CK
A blood marker of muscle damage.
CK enters the blood when muscle cells are damaged. A typical range is about 40–310 U/L in men and 25–190 U/L in women; it varies by lab.
| CK | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1–5 times the upper limit | Hard exercise, intramuscular injection, some medicines (e.g. statins) |
| More than 5 times (roughly >1000 U/L) | Possible marked muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis); clinician the same day |
| >5000 U/L | Kidney injury risk rises; urgent assessment |
- Stahl K et al., J Neurol 2020 — A systematic review on the definition of rhabdomyolysis
- ACC/AHA — Cholesterol Guideline (2018), statin muscle symptoms
General information only; not diagnosis or treatment. Review your results with your clinician.
