Resolved question:
I am 70 yrs old. I have had a routine blood test which showed creatine kinase high at 261 ie above the norm of 24-195.
LDL 111 HDL 65 Total 189, Triglicerides 65
I have taken 20 mg synvastatin for 5 years - 3 months ago I reduced this to 10 mg.
I have had annual routine bloodtests which have shown higher cholestral total around 236 and alwys normal CK level.
I sometimes have cramp in calves at night.
I play tennis 2 hrs three times pw and feel good.
I take generic viagra twice pw.
I have never smoked. 178 cm tall and 78 kg. I take beer/wine 5 days pw - about 28 units pw.
What would be the reason for the high CK please.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Family Physician-GP
Hello,
Thank You for your query at DoctorSpring.com
I understand your concern.
CK or Creatine Kinase is a very non specific test and it's values does not really indicate anything if ordered alone. CK-MB the common form tested in the laboratories, if elevated mostly indicate a muscle injury such as myositis, or polymyositis. So in your case, since you play tennis 3 times per week, and also the fact that you have been having some cramps, indicates an on going inflammation in the calf muscles. IF you just rest your muscles for about a week, this will reduce automatically and the CK levels will come down.
Please do not worry about it.
However your cholesterol values are still elevated, and you need to control your diet, or may be go back to the 20 mg Symvastatin after discussion with your local doctor. Apart from that all other values are great and there is no cause of concern.
Just rest for about a week, and repeat CK. The values will be normal.
Feel free to discuss further,
Regards.
Many thanks for your reassuring advice.
To Clarify re Cholesterol. 7 years ago I had total of 300 and this was reduced to around 256 by 2 years of careful diet. As this was still high I started 20mg symvastatin and have used this for 5 years. This worked and gave levels around 210 - 235 plus HDL around 60 which seemed fine.
So 3 months ago I reduced to 10 mg. To my surprise in the latest test today the levels were the best ever ie Total 189, LDL 111, HDL 65 Trigiceride 65 - So Total/HDL - Only 2.9.
However my local spanish GP advised that the high CK may be a side effect of the symvastatin and so she said stop the symvastatin for 3 months then test again..
Please note I have no other symtoms such as aching muscles or weakness and feel great.
Also I was taking 10 mg of Ixia until about 6 months ago but I stopped as it was going abit too low in the evenings when relaxed. I have monitored it very closely since then - the systolic is abit high 120-145 but the diastolic is low 70-60 but sometimes drops as low as 46-50. I am slightly worried about this low reading but I do not think I need Ixia now..
I would appreciate your further advice or comments.
Hello,
Thank you for the detailed follow up.
Yes compared to your previous reports, there has been significant improvements, and now the levels are good.
If you keep up the diet and Statin 10 mg, the values will further reduce.
Symvastatin can indeed cause muscle pain, weakness and lead to muscle injury, causing elevation of CK. I was unsure of the duration, how long you took the drug before, but with a 5 year history it's definitely possible. So it will be prudent to continue 10 mg statins, and recheck your CK levels after 3 months.
Regarding your BP, yes 46-50 diastolic is significantly low, and you need to consult the doctor who prescribed you Lxia. Though it is a great drug, but if your values have already come down by itself then dose alterations or swtiching over to some other drug like Atenolol, or Carvedilol, will be better. So it is better you get your BP checked manually by your doctor, and alter the dosage.
Hope this was helpful,
Regards.