🩺 Nursing Question of the Day

Challenge yourself with one exam-style nursing question every day.

✅ Think carefully • ✅ Choose your answer • ✅ Then scroll down to check the explanation.

💊 Statins & Muscle Toxicity

✅ Answer: (A) CK — Creatine Kinase

📖 Why is CK Tested?

CK stands for Creatine Kinase, an enzyme found in high concentrations in skeletal muscle.

Statins can rarely cause significant muscle injury, ranging from myopathy to severe rhabdomyolysis.

When muscle cells are damaged, CK is released into the bloodstream, causing the serum CK level to rise.

👉 Therefore, in a patient taking a statin who develops severe muscle pain and weakness, checking CK is the most appropriate laboratory evaluation among the choices.

🩺 What is Statin-Associated Muscle Injury?

Statins are lipid-lowering medications used primarily to reduce LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular risk.

Most muscle symptoms associated with statins are mild, but severe muscle pain or weakness raises concern for significant muscle injury.

A markedly elevated CK, particularly when accompanied by muscle symptoms, can indicate myopathy or rhabdomyolysis.

❌ Why Are the Other Options Wrong?

A. CK
✅ Correct. CK is the key laboratory marker for assessing suspected statin-associated muscle injury.

B. INR
❌ INR is primarily used to assess the effect of warfarin and monitor coagulation.

C. Amylase
❌ Amylase is primarily associated with evaluation of pancreatic injury, not statin-related muscle toxicity.

D. Troponin
❌ Troponin is a marker of cardiac muscle injury and is primarily used when myocardial injury is suspected.

📝 Quick Comparison

📌 Exam Tip: Routine CK monitoring is not required for every patient taking a statin. However, when a patient develops significant muscle symptoms, CK measurement is appropriate to evaluate for muscle injury.