Do the creatine kinase or myoglobin levels help with the diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis?
Creatine kinase (CK) or creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and myoglobin are present in muscle cells and are released into the circulation in large quantities in the presence of significant muscle injury.
The main role of CK is to catalyze the formation of phosphocreatine from creatine.
In muscle cells, phosphocreatine serves as a store for high-energy phosphates, which can be transferred to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) when extra adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is needed.
Myoglobin is an iron- and oxygen-containing molecule found in muscle cells that is structurally similar to hemoglobin and functions to carry oxygen in muscle tissue.
