Creatinine Kinase (CK)
Sample Requirement | Turnaround Time |
Serum | Same working day |
Elevations are seen in the presence of acute muscle injury (eg exertional rhabdomyolysis, atypical myopathy, myositis, trauma, recumbency, vitamin E/selenium deficiency, HKPP) . Levels peak at 6-12 hours post injury and return to baseline by 3-4 days, assuming that no further damage occurs.
Artefactual increases can occur with haemolysis of the sample or muscle damage during collection.
Paired CK assays taken before and 2-3 hours after exercise can form a useful diagnostic test for exercise-induced myopathy.
This assay does not differentiate the skeletal muscle isotype from the cardiac or brain isotypes, but these are less likely to cause significant increases in the serum.
Reference Ranges
Age | Range (iu/l) |
Adult Non-Thoroughbred Horses | 110-250 |
Neonatal Thoroughbred Foals (24-48hrs old) | 165-761 |
Older Thoroughbred Foals (approx. 3 weeks old) | 204-263 |
Yearling Thoroughbred Horses | 190-370 |
Two-Year-Old Thoroughbred Horses in Training | 166-572 |
Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Horses in Training | 156-875 |
Adult Thoroughbred Horses at Stud | 154-270 |