Creatine Kinase

I got a letter from KU Med with the results of some blood tests from my visit last week to the Neurologist. It's just a list of numbers for a bunch of markers, each classified as either In Range or Our of Range. My glucose is a bit high, which worries me (the Prednisone causes this, and may make it bas enough to require Insulin shots). The interesting ones are of course the levels of Creatine Kinase and Aldolase. See, these are enzymes that are released into the bloodstream following the breakdown of skeletal muscle. Put in other words, these are part of the guts of muscle cells, and high levels of them in the blood means these cells are being destroyed by some process. In my case that process is the Dermatomyositis.

Both the levels of CK and Aldolase are high. The CK levels were 512 U/L. A normal person, at rest, has levels below 100 U/L. A sprinter after running the 100 m has levels around 200 U/L. So, this means the inflammation process is still there, but it's under control. CK levels in myositis go into the thousands (which is what they were for me when I was hospitalized). So, even though this was high, it's actually low for me, or let's say a bit more under control. The Aldolase level was 12.6 U/L (should be below 8.1 U/L), again high, but not so bad given my condition (myositis gets this number over 20 U/L).

Of course, the fact that these numbers are high indicates that the inflammatory process is there, in-check, but present. I'll take these numbers as good news that the treatment is having effect though :-) I just really hope that I can get to a point where I can be under these conditions, without the Prednisone.