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Creatine kinase isoenzymes in serum from children--especially focusing on CK-BB
Insights
Serum creatine kinase-BB (CK-BB) levels in children are highest in infancy and decline with age, suggesting a link to growth. CK-BB is not influenced by seizures or fever in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Pediatric Medicine
- Clinical Chemistry
Background:
- Creatine kinase (CK) isoenzymes, including CK-BB, are crucial biomarkers.
- Understanding age-related variations in CK isoenzymes is important for pediatric diagnostics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the age-dependent changes in serum CK-BB activity in children.
- To determine the influence of factors like seizures, epilepsy, and body temperature on CK-BB levels.
- To assess the cardiac specificity of CK-MB in pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- Serum samples were collected from 161 children aged 7 months to 18 years.
- Concentrations of CK-BB and CK-MB were measured.
- Data were analyzed for correlations with age, seizures, epilepsy, and body temperature.
Main Results:
- Serum CK-BB was measurable in 58% of children, with levels highest in the first year of life and decreasing with age.
- CK-BB activity showed a strong resemblance to growth charts and was not significantly affected by seizures, epilepsy, or fever.
- CK-MB was detected in 7% of children, but its presence could not be attributed to cardiac origin, questioning its cardiac specificity in this age group.
Conclusions:
- Serum CK-BB levels in children are primarily related to physiological growth processes.
- CK-BB is the sole CK isoenzyme exhibiting significant age-related changes in children.
- CK-MB is not reliably indicative of cardiac origin in children, necessitating further investigation for cardiac assessment.
Abstract:
In 161 children with ages ranging from 7 months to 18 years the concentration of CK-BB in serum was measurable in 58%. The activity in serum of CK-BB (cCK-BB(S] in children varies with age and is not significantly influenced by seizure, epilepsy or body temperature. The values are most elevated during the first year of life and show a rapid fall, never reaching adult levels. Comparing mean cCK-BB(S) values in children to growth charts the resemblance is striking. CK-BB is the only CK-isoenzyme that changes with age. We postulate that cCK-BB(S) is related to growth as a physiological phenomenon. CK-MB was found in serum in 7% of the children and could not be of cardiac origin. Therefore CK-MB cannot be regarded as cardiac specific in children.