title: Approach to asymptomatic creatine kinase elevation.
abstract: How to manage a patient who has an elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) level but no or insignificant muscle-related signs and symptoms is a clinical conundrum. The authors provide a systematic approach, including repeat testing after a period of rest, defining higher thresholds over which pursuing a diagnosis is worthwhile, and evaluating for a variety of nonneuromuscular causes. They also outline a workup for neuromuscular causes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.|VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Siamak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moghadam-Kia
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Chester V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Oddis
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. E-mail: aggarwalr@upmc.ed.
authors.forename: Rohit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood*; D004700:Endocrine System Diseases / Q000097:blood; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D003402:Creatine Kinase