Haff disease causes rhabdomyolysis and must be differentiated from other causes of rhabdomyolysis, which may be categorized as physical, non-physical, and genetic factors. Physical factors include trauma, excessive muscular activity, status epilepticus, high-grade fever, heatstroke, and electric shock. Non-physical factors include medications, infections, drugs, and electrolyte abnormalities. Genetic factors consist of autoimmune diseases, metabolic diseases, and various inherited conditions.

Haff disease is known to cause rhabdomyolysis, and therefore, it should be differentiated from other causes of rhabdomyolysis. There are numerous etiologies of rhabdomyolysis and they may be categorized based on the physical, non-physical, and genetic factors.^[1]

• Trauma
• Excessive muscular activity
• Status epilepticus
• High-grade fever
• Heat stroke
• Electric shock

• Medication (e.g., anti-retrovirals, anti-histamines, anti-psychotics, antidepressants, and statins)
• Infection (bacterial and viral)
• Drugs (e.g., alcohol, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and LSD)
• Electrolyte abnormalities (e.g., hypokalemia, hypophosphatemia, hyponatremia, and hypernatremia)

• Autoimmune diseases (e.g., polymyositis and dermatomyositis)
• Metabolic diseases (e.g., diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, primary hyperaldosteronism, primary adrenal insufficiency, central diabetes insipidus, postpartum hypernatremia, and pituitary dysfunction).
• Inherited conditions (e.g., glycogen storage disorders, fatty acid oxidation disorders, mitochondrial myopathies, muscular dystrophies, and RYR1- related myopathies)