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Creatine kinase values in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

K J Felice1, W A North

  • 1Department of Neurology, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington 06030, USA. felice@nso.uchc.edu

Journal of the Neurological Sciences
|December 16, 1998
PubMed
Summary

This study examined creatine kinase (CK) levels in 140 patients diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Researchers found that 41% of patients had elevated CK values at diagnosis, with 8% having very high levels. Male patients had significantly higher CK values than female patients, and those with limb-onset disease had higher CK levels than those with bulbar-onset disease. However, CK levels did not predict age of onset or survival. The study suggests that CK levels may reflect muscle involvement in ALS and could be useful in clinical monitoring. The findings indicate that CK levels vary with disease subtype and patient sex but are not reliable predictors of survival.

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Area of Science:

  • Neurodegenerative disease biomarkers
  • Muscle enzyme activity in neurological disorders
  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis clinical research

Background:

Current understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) includes the role of muscle enzyme activity in disease monitoring. Prior research has shown that creatine kinase (CK) levels can reflect muscle damage in neuromuscular disorders. However, the significance of CK values in ALS remains unclear. No prior work had resolved whether CK levels correlate with disease progression or survival in ALS patients. This gap motivated researchers to examine CK values in a clinical cohort of ALS patients. Existing studies lack detailed analysis of CK values in relation to disease onset and patient characteristics. The relationship between CK levels and clinical features of ALS has not been well established. This paper's contribution lies in analyzing CK values in a large ALS patient sample. The study provides insights into how CK levels may vary with disease subtype and patient demographics.

Purpose Of The Study:

The aim of this study was to investigate creatine kinase (CK) levels in patients diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The researchers sought to determine whether CK values correlate with disease characteristics such as onset type and patient sex. They also aimed to assess whether CK levels can predict age of onset or survival in ALS patients. The study focused on analyzing CK values recorded at diagnosis and later in the disease course. The researchers wanted to identify patterns in CK levels that could inform clinical monitoring. They examined whether CK levels differ between male and female patients. The study also aimed to explore the relationship between CK levels and disease subtype. By analyzing CK values in a large ALS cohort, the researchers hoped to clarify the clinical relevance of CK in ALS.

Keywords:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis CK levelsNeurological disease biomarkersMuscle enzyme activity in ALSALS clinical monitoring

Frequently Asked Questions

The study found that 41% of ALS patients had elevated creatine kinase (CK) levels at diagnosis, with 8% having values over three times the upper limit of normal.

Male ALS patients had significantly higher CK values (mean 1.56) compared to female patients (mean 0.80; P=0.001).

CK levels did not correlate with age of onset or survival in ALS patients (P=0.11).

Limb-onset ALS patients had higher CK levels (mean 1.34) than bulbar-onset patients (mean 0.80; P=0.009).

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Main Methods:

The study involved 140 ALS patients from a Motor Neuron Disease Clinic over five years. Researchers collected creatine kinase (CK) values at diagnosis and later in the disease course. They compared initial and follow-up CK measurements using statistical analysis. The study categorized patients by sex and disease onset type. Researchers calculated mean and median CK values for each group. They used statistical tests to assess differences between groups. The study also examined correlations between CK levels and clinical features. Researchers analyzed whether CK values could predict age of onset or survival.

Main Results:

The mean initial CK (CK1) value was 1.22 times the upper limit of normal. The mean follow-up CK (CK2) value was 1.34 times the upper limit of normal. The difference between CK1 and CK2 was not statistically significant (P=0.11). Forty-one percent of patients had elevated CK1 values. Eight percent of patients had CK1 values greater than three times the upper limit of normal. Male patients had significantly higher CK1 values than female patients (P=0.001). Limb-onset patients had higher CK1 values than bulbar-onset patients (P=0.009). CK values did not correlate with age of onset or survival.

Conclusions:

The study found that CK levels in ALS patients varied with sex and disease subtype. Male patients had higher CK values than female patients. Limb-onset patients had higher CK values than bulbar-onset patients. CK levels did not predict age of onset or survival in ALS patients. The authors suggest that CK values may reflect muscle involvement in ALS. They propose that CK levels could be used as a biomarker for disease subtype. The study indicates that CK levels are not reliable predictors of survival. The findings suggest that CK levels may be useful in clinical monitoring of ALS.

Initial and follow-up CK values were similar, with a mean difference of 28.2% (P=0.11).

The authors propose that CK levels may reflect muscle involvement and could be used as a biomarker for disease subtype in ALS.