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What Do Low Creatine Phosphokinase Test Levels Indicate?

Creatine Phosphokinase (CPK) is an enzyme found in various tissues of the body, including the brain, skeletal muscles, and heart. A blood sample is collected through a venipuncture method to test for CPK levels.

This test is primarily recommended for patients experiencing symptoms of a heart attack. It can help diagnose a heart attack, determine the cause of chest pain, and monitor damage to muscle or heart tissues.

The results of the CPK test can provide important information about the health of these tissues. If CPK levels are low, it could indicate a deficiency in this enzyme, which may be caused by certain medical conditions or medications. However, low CPK levels are generally not considered a significant health concern on their own.

In contrast, high CPK levels can indicate muscle or tissue damage. Elevated CPK levels are commonly observed in individuals who have experienced a heart attack or who have muscle damage due to physical injury, certain medications, or muscle diseases.

In summary, the CPK test is a valuable diagnostic tool that can help identify a heart attack and muscle damage. Understanding CPK test results can help healthcare professionals determine appropriate treatment options for patients. If you want to learn more about the CPK test, continue reading the article below.

What is a Creatine Phosphokinase Test?

The human body needs all types of enzymes to function properly. CPK is one of the important enzymes that supports muscle functions. With the dedicated test, the enzyme levels in your blood will be evaluated to determine the damaged muscle parts.

CPK is tested for its three different parts. Doctors categorize the CPK with the characterization of MB, MM, and BB. CPK-MB represents the enzymes found in cardiac muscle, CPK-MM is an enzyme in the skeletal muscle, and CPK-BB is the enzyme found in the brain.

When any body parts experience damage due to disease or injury, CPK gets released into the bloodstream. This test checks those levels in the bloodstream, determining the specific areas in your body that have experienced damage.

Your doctor might recommend you to undergo a Creatine Phosphokinase test if you are experiencing symptoms such as:

  • Numbness
  • Dark Urine
  • Balance Issues
  • Muscle Pain
  • Cramps, etc.

If you have experienced any stroke, heart attack or muscle injury recently, the doctors might conduct this test multiple times while keeping you under observation.

What is the Normal Creatine Phosphokinase Level?

As per the medical evidence, the normal CPK levels are expected to range between 10 and 120 micrograms/litre. Depending on different lab test approaches, the normal range might vary slightly from this specified value. It is because some of the labs use different samples or measurement methods.

Upon the Creatine Phosphokinase Test results in higher levels of this enzyme in your blood, you are at risk of experiencing severe health disorders. Some of them include the following:

  • If your CPK-BB levels are higher, you might have experienced a stroke, heart attack, lung failure, brain tumour or seizures.
  • If your CPK-MB levels are higher, you might have been through cardiac surgery, electric shock during defibrillation or chest injury. It also indicates that you might have cardiac inflammation.
  • If your CPK-MM levels are high, it is mostly due to intense exercise, use of illicit drugs, muscular dystrophy, crush injury and others.
  • If the total CPK levels are higher, then it is due to excessive intake of alcohol, and ethanol, consumption of medications such as amphotericin-B and overdose on barbiturates.

Low Creatine Phosphokinase Test Levels Indicate Normal Body Functions?

Low levels of CPK do not necessarily indicate good health but rather suggest that there may be underlying critical adversities in the body. Low CPK levels are commonly associated with connective tissue disorders, and if a patient is not undergoing a particular steroid treatment, their CPK values may be below the normal range. Even if a patient has normal CPK levels, it is still recommended that they undergo further diagnosis for myositis, as it remains a possibility.

If CPK-MM levels are measured to be low, it could be due to ongoing muscle mass loss, muscle wastage, or malnutrition. This is an indication that the muscles are not functioning at their full strength and are gradually deteriorating. Conditions like Muscular Dystrophy could be a cause for such low results. However, in older adults, some degree of muscle mass loss is common with age, and it is not necessarily a cause for concern.

In essence, a low CPK level may suggest the presence of rheumatoid arthritis or alcoholic liver disease, as CPK levels indicate the total mass of the muscles. Patients who have been advised to rest for an extended period due to a medical condition are also likely to have low CPK levels.

Generally, women are considered to have lower CPK test levels than men. It is mostly because women have much lean muscle mass than men. A pregnant woman will again result in lower Creatine Phosphokinase Test levels than a non-pregnant woman.

Conclusion

This is how CPK levels indicate test results to determine what your body has been through and whether or not the muscles are recovering. If you are experiencing consistent muscle pain, cramps, numbness, or weakness, get in touch with your medical expert and get your condition diagnosed. The doctors will recommend going for a test. Also, if you are a patient, you can also book any online blood test at home to determine the root cause of any prolonged symptom, such as chest aches.

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