Creatine kinase (CK) is a dimeric enzyme which occurs in four different forms: a mitochondrial isoenzyme and the cytosolic isoenzymes CK‐MM (muscle type), CK‐BB (brain type) and CK‐MB.
The determination of CK‐MB mass in serum is an important element in the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia, e.g. in acute myocardial infarction, myocarditis, etc. CK‐MB is detectable in the blood about 3‐8 hours after the onset of cardiac symptoms and can remain detectable over a lengthy period of time, depending on the course of the condition.1 CK‐MB may also appear in other clinical conditions, e.g. in rhabdomyolysis and stroke.
Within the scope of laboratory diagnostics, the determination of total CK, troponin T and/or myoglobin can contribute to the differentiation of these clinical pictures.
The sensitivity of a CK‐MB determination is dependent upon the time at which a sample was taken. Follow‐up assays are therefore meaningful.
| Women | < 2.9 ng/ml | < 2.9 µg/L |
| Men | < 4.9 ng/ml | < 4.9 µg/L |
| Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay “ECLIA” | Roche Diagnostics |
| Microgram per liter | µg/L = mcg/L = ug/L = microg/L = microgram/L = µg/liter = mcg/liter = ug/liter |
| Nanogram per liter | ng/L = nanog/L = nanogram/L = ng/liter |
| Nanogram per deciliter | ng/dL = nanog/dL = nanogram/dL |
| Nanogram per 100 milliliters | ng/100mL = nanog/100mL = nanogram/100mL |
| Nanogram percent | ng% = nanog% = nanogram% |
| Nanogram per milliliter | ng/mL = nanog/mL = nanogram/mL |