BACKGROUND AND CLINICAL INFORMATION:
Head
Summary: This can be and often is a life threatening
condition. Rhabdomyolysis or necrotizing myopathy refers to dissolution of
skeletal muscle leading to the leakage of the sarcoplasmic content. Other than
those due to trauma, it can be viewed as an end result of over exhaustion of
muscle. It can be caused by a wide variety of etiologies
that include alcoholism, malignant hyperthermia, intoxication, genetic and
biochemical defects, crush injury and ischemia, and others. In some cases no
cause can be found. Myoglobinuria is the salient feature and often the cause of
severe clinical consequence particularly renal failure.
Clinical:
·
Myoglobinuria: “tea-colored”
urine. Determination of myoglobin level in serum and urine is important for
diagnosis.
·
CK: The rise
in serum myoglobinuria level precedes CK.
·
Muscle: Swollen
and tender muscle with limb weakness. The degree of weakness varies widely and
must be distinguished from other cases of acute and widespread muscle weakness.
·
Constitutional: Fever,
leukocytosis.
·
Acute renal failure:
The most important clinical outcome of rhabdomyolysis is acute renal failure due
to acute tubular necrosis.
·
Hypokalemia potentiates
rhabdomyolysis.
Hypokalemia potentiates rhabdomyolysis.