CK-BB

Optimal result: 0 – 0.001 %

By Healthmatters Editorial Team

Peer-reviewed sources

CK-BB tends to rise if you have a brain injury, meningitis, abnormal cell growth, severe shock, stroke, hypothermia, or restricted blood flow to the bowel. Here are other potential reasons for high CK-BB:

- Brain cancers

- Cerebrovascular accidents

- Subarachnoid hemorrhage

- Seizure

- Adenocarcinoma, especially lung and breast

- Pulmonary infarction

There are three types of Creatine Kinase enzymes:

CK-MM, found mostly in skeletal muscles
CK-MB, found mostly in the heart muscle
CK-BB, found mostly in your brain. It's also found in smooth muscles such as the intestine or uterus.

A small amount of CK in the blood is normal. Higher amounts can mean a health problem. Depending on the type and level of CK found, it can mean you have damage or disease of the skeletal muscles, heart, or brain.

Creatine Kinase is a type of protein that is mostly found in the skeletal muscle (CK-MM). 97 to 100% of Creatine Kinase are usually found in skeletal muscle. The other two types of Creatine Kinase are CK-MB (Creatine Kinase found in the heart muscle) and CK-BB (Creatine Kinase found in brain tissue).

CK-BB is found mainly in the brain and the lesser amount found in the urinary bladder, stomach, and prostate. These enzymes are present in the cytosol and the myofibrillar structure of the cells.

Organize and understand all your lab results

Start organizing — $15/mo →

For Health Professionals Healthmatters Pro Multiple clients’ results in one dashboard. See Pro plans →

CK-BB

Every lab result you’ve ever had, charted and explained.

Healthmatters is a tracker for your lab results. Upload a report from any lab, any country — every marker charted and explained.

Start with my report →

Clinical Sources & References

All our content is backed by peer-reviewed studies, academic research, and trusted medical sources. We’re committed to accuracy and transparency — see our editorial policy for details.

Article Review Log

Written by Healthmatters Editorial Team

Organize and understand all your lab results

Start organizing — $15/mo →

For Health Professionals Healthmatters Pro Multiple clients’ results in one dashboard. See Pro plans →

Healthmatters Lifetime Plan

Pay $250. Track your health forever

One payment. No renewals. Yours for life.

10,000+ biomarkers explained · trends over time

See other plans →

Secure checkout via Stripe · GDPR & HIPAA

We accept results from any lab

LabCorp Quest Diagnostics Genova Diagnostics DUTCH Test Doctor's Data Vibrant America ZRT Laboratory Cyrex Labs + any other lab

What members are saying

★★★★★ 10,000+ happy members

★★★★★

"Watching my numbers move over the years — instead of forgetting last time's results — completely changed how I manage my health."

Daniel

Member since 2022

★★★★★

"Living across several countries made keeping my lab results organized a real challenge. Healthmatters brought my results from the USA, Spain, and Germany together — 20 years of history, with long-term trends instead of scattered reports."

Ben

Member since 2021 · tracks across countries

★★★★★

"Standard lab ranges are too wide for how I practice — 'normal' isn't optimal. I set my own bands, so a client sees yellow before a marker goes officially out of range. That's the conversation I want to be having."

Dr. Alexandra

Functional medicine · 6 yrs on Pro