Duchenne muscular dystrophy, serum creatine kinase

Thus in muscular dystrophy it is apparent that both the mean elevations of the serum enzyme values and the magnitudes of their variations upon physical activity are proportional to the mass of dystrophic muscle remaining and to the severity of the disease in it. Both are thus greater in early than in evident Duchenne-type dystrophy, less in limb-girdle dystrophy, and least in myotonia congenita. Further, though serum creatine kinase has been found to be an exceedingly delicate index of myopathy (A2, S14), for present purposes serum aldolase is suflBciently... 

There is an association between (latent) muscular dystrophy (usually of the Duchenne or Becker type) and the production of rhabdomyolysis by suxamethonium (84,85,89,90). Suxamethonium can cause excessive muscle damage in these patients, as manifested not only by severe myoglobinemia and raised serum creatine kinase activity but also by acute exacerbation of muscle weakness postoperatively (SEDA-11, 121) (7,29,84,91,92). Massive potassium release can result in hyperkalemic cardiac arrest. Such patients may also develop features suggestive of the syndrome of malignant hyperthermia (93,94). Suxamethonium should not be used in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy or who have a family history suspect for the condition. 

H12. Hudgson, P., Gardner-Medwin, D., Pennington, R. J. T., and Walton, J. N., Studies of the carrier state in the Duchenne type of muscular dystrophy. Part I. Effect of exercise on serum creatine kinase activity. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiat. 30, 416-419 (1967). 

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