CK-MB and energy transfer
Biomarker library
Muscle & Joint Health
Creatine kinase-MB
CK-MB is the form of creatine kinase most concentrated in heart muscle.
Measured in your health assessment, with a doctor to explain your result. Book yours
Why it matters
Before modern troponin tests, CK-MB was a key blood test for heart attacks. Today troponin is the standard, and CK-MB is read together with total CK, because skeletal muscle contains some CK-MB too.
What a result can mean
Lower than the range
A low level is normal.
Higher than the range
A rise usually follows heavy exercise or skeletal muscle injury. It can also occur with damage to heart muscle, which is assessed with troponin and an ECG. Chest pain always needs urgent medical attention, not a routine test.
What can help
Avoid strenuous exercise before testing. A raised CK-MB in someone without symptoms is read alongside total CK and, if needed, further heart tests.
Read it with
NoteGeneral educational illustration. Colours, sizes and movement are simplified. This is not a scan or a simulation of your body. General information, not personal medical advice: a doctor reads your own results with your history.
Know your creatine kinase-MB.
Measured in your health assessment and explained by the doctor who reviews your results.