Rhabdomyolysis

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Medical Author: Siamak Nabili, MD, MPH
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

• What is rhabdomyolysis?
• What causes rhabdomyolysis?
• What are the symptoms of rhabdomyolysis?
• What should I do if I think I have rhabdomyolysis?
• How is rhabdomyolysis diagnosed?
• What are the complications of rhabdomyolysis?
• How is rhabdomyolysis treated?
• What is the prognosis for rhabdomyolysis?
• Rhabdomyolysis At A Glance
• Related rhabdomyolysis article:
  Rhabdomyolysis - on eMedicineHealth
• Patient Discussions: Rhabdomyolysis - Describe Your Experience

Featured rhabdomyolysis patient discussions on experience "I started Lovastatin 3 months ago and experienced muscle pain and weakness after 1 month. I also had a fever for 2 weeks with no other symptoms. I had to figure this out on my own when I stopped the statin drug and asked the pharmacist. He told me about Rhabdomyolysis. I'm still having symptoms after almost 2 weeks of no medications. I read it may take a few weeks to go away and lots of fluids help the dehydration aspect. Now I'm back to diet and exercise. No more statins for me!" "I have this and have been on Tricor and Simvastatin for along time. From what I read this is not recommended (my cholesterol and triglycerides are normal and have been for several years). Why didn't my doctor change my meds or at least test for this?" Read All Comments on Rhabdomyolysis » Top Searched Rhabdomyolysis Terms: statins, cure, drug induced, myopathy, celiac disease, compartment syndrome, lipitor, zocor, signs, symptoms Patient Discussions are not a substitute for professional medical advice, or treatment. See the disclaimer at the bottom of the comments page.

What is rhabdomyolysis?

Rhabdomyolysis (RAB-DOE-MY-O-LIE-SIS) is the rapid destruction of skeletal muscle resulting in leakage into the urine of the muscle protein myoglobin.

There are three different types of muscle in the human body;

1. smooth muscle,
   
   
2. skeletal muscle, and
   
   
3. heart muscle.

The skeletal muscle is the muscle of movement of the body (moving the skeleton at the joints). Skeletal muscle is affected by rhabdomyolysis.

Myoglobin is a protein component of the muscle cells that is released into the blood when the skeletal muscle is destroyed in rhabdomyolysis. Creatine kinase is an enzyme (a protein that facilitates chemical reactions in the body) also in the muscle cells. The level of each of these proteins can be measured in blood to monitor the degree of muscle injury from rhabdomyolysis. Myoglobin can also be measured in samples of urine.

What causes rhabdomyolysis?

Rhabdomyolysis has many causes. Some of the common ones include:

• muscle trauma or crush injury,
  
  
• severe burns,
  
  
• physical torture or child abuse,
  
  
• prolonged lying down on the ground (people who fall or are unconscious and are unable to get up for several hours),
  
  
• prolonged coma,
  
  
• severe muscle contractions from prolonged seizures,
  
  
• cocaine use with related hyperthermia (increased body temperature),
  
  
• extreme physical activity (running a marathon),
  
  
• drug and alcohol intoxication,
  
  
• low circulating phosphate, potassium, or magnesium levels in the blood (electrolytes),
  
  
• genetic muscle diseases (familial paroxysmal rhabdomyolysis),
  
  
• prolonged drowning or hypothermia (low core body temperature),
  
  
• medications: most notably statins used to treat high cholesterol [simvastatin (Zocor), atorvastatin (Lipitor), pravastatin (Pravachol), or lovastatin (Mevacor)] and other medications such as Parkinson's medication, psychiatric medications, anesthesia medications, HIV medications, colchicine,
  
  
• variety of viruses and some bacteria,
  
  
• severe hypothyroidism (low thyroid level), especially if the person is also taking statin drugs for cholesterol,
  
  
• lack of blood perfusion to a limb,
  
  
• some inflammatory disorders of the muscle, called myopathies, (myositis, dermatomyositis, polymyositis),
  
  
• venom from certain snake bites (mainly in Africa, Asia, and South America).

Rhabdomyolysis - Describe Your Experience

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