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Health Dictionary

Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

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Rhabdomyolysis overview

Introduction

Overview

Overview

Rhabdomyolysis is a syndrome characterized by skeletal muscle necrosis and the release of intracellular muscle contents, such as myoglobin and electrolytes, into the blood circulation.[1]

Causes

Causes

The causes can be divided into 3 categories:[2][3][4]

  • Traumatic or muscle compression.
  • Nontraumatic exertional.
  • Nontraumatic non-exertional.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Causes of Rhabdomyolysis
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Traumatic
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Atraumatic
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
C01
 
 
 
 
 
 
C02
 
C03
 
 
Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Physical Examination

A physical usually reveals no abnormalities, but there may be tenderness, weakness, or atrophy.

Electrocardiogram

The EKG can show non specific ST T wave changes and T wave inversions. Despite the very high level of CK, the criteria for MI requires a 5% MB index (may vary by assay and gender).

References

References

  1. ↑ Bagley WH, Yang H, Shah KH (2007). “Rhabdomyolysis”. Intern Emerg Med. 2 (3): 210–8. doi:10.1007/s11739-007-0060-8. PMID 17909702 PMID: 17909702 Check |pmid= value (help).
  2. ↑ Gabow PA, Kaehny WD, Kelleher SP (1982). “The spectrum of rhabdomyolysis”. Medicine (Baltimore). 61 (3): 141–52. doi:10.1097/00005792-198205000-00002. PMID 7078398 PMID: 7078398 Check |pmid= value (help).
  3. ↑ Melli G, Chaudhry V, Cornblath DR (2005). “Rhabdomyolysis: an evaluation of 475 hospitalized patients”. Medicine (Baltimore). 84 (6): 377–85. doi:10.1097/01.md.0000188565.48918.41. PMID 16267412 PMID: 16267412 Check |pmid= value (help).
  4. ↑ Torres PA, Helmstetter JA, Kaye AM, Kaye AD (2015). “Rhabdomyolysis: pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment”. Ochsner J. 15 (1): 58–69. PMC 4365849. PMID 25829882 PMID: 25829882 Check |pmid= value (help).

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Ayesha Javid, MBBS[2]