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Injuries Slideshow Pictures First Aid Sprains & Strains Slideshow Pictures Medical Author: Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR Rhabdomyolysis facts 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? Patient Comments: Rhabdomyolysis - Describe Your Experience Patient Comments: Rhabdomyolysis - Symptoms Patient Comments: Rhabdomyolysis - Diagnosis Patient Comments: Rhabdomyolysis - Treatment Share this Article: Facebook Twitter Email Print Rhabdomyolysis Symptoms and Causes Dr. Wedro Weighs In On the University of Iowa's Football Players Hospitalization Medical Author: Benjamin C. Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stppler, MD They might be called the unlucky 13. At the end of a strenuous workout, a baker' s dozen University of Iowa football players ended up in the hospital with rhabdo myolysis (rhabdo=skeleton +myo=muscle + lysis=breakdown), a condition in which m uscles break down quickly and spill their contents into the blood stream. Myoglo bin is a protein that is contained in muscle cells, and if enough is spilled int o the blood stream, it can clog the kidney's filtering system and lead to kidney failure and a variety of other serious medical consequences and complications. While muscles routinely get sore after physical activity, rhabdomyolysis takes t hat muscle injury to a higher level. Rhabdomyolysis is the result of massive muscle destruction. Weight lifting in th e gym is not the only cause. It is often the major injury suffered by victims of a blast injury from an e arthquake, bombing, or lightning strike. It may be caused when a person falls and lies motionless for many hours and the weight of the body in effect crushes its own muscle. That scenario can happe n in stroke victimsor an intoxicated person who has fallen with no one around to assist, and then are found many hours later. Non-injury causes include side eff ects of certain medications such as statinsused to treat high cholesteroland som e psychiatric medications. Read more about these athletes' illness Rhabdomyolysis facts

Rhabdomyolysis is the rapid destruction of skeletal muscle resulting in leak age into the urine of the muscle protein myoglobin. Rhabdomyolysis has many causes. Mediations can cause muscle injury and rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis can cause muscle pain and weakness. Blood levels of muscle enzymes, including CPK, SGOT, SGPT, and LDH, as well as blood and urine myoglobin are used to diagnose and monitor rhabdomyolysis. Hospitalization is sometimes required to treat rhabdomyolysis. What is rhabdomyolysis? Comment on this Read 29 Comments Share Your Story Rhabdomyolysis (RAB-DOE-MY-O-LIE-SIS) is the rapid destruction of skeletal muscl e resulting in leakage into the urine of the muscle protein myoglobin. There are three different types of muscle in the human body; smooth muscle, skeletal muscle, and heart muscle. The skeletal muscle is the muscle of movement of the body (moving the skeleton a t the joints). Skeletal muscle is affected by rhabdomyolysis. Myoglobin is a protein component of the muscle cells that is released into the b lood when the skeletal muscle is destroyed in rhabdomyolysis. Creatine kinase is an enzyme (a protein that facilitates chemical reactions in the body) also in t he 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 a re 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, extreme workouts) Drug and alcohol intoxication Low circulating phosphate, potassium, or magnesium levels in the blood (elec trolytes) Genetic muscle diseases (familial paroxysmal rhabdomyolysis) Prolonged drowning or hypothermia (low core body temperature) Medications: most notably statins used to treat high cholesterol (simvastati n [Zocor], atorvastatin [Lipitor], pravastatin [Pravachol], or lovastatin [Mevac or]) and other medications such as Parkinson's medication, psychiatric medicatio ns, 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, der matomyositis, polymyositis) Venom from certain snake bites (mainly in Africa, Asia, and South America)

Medically Reviewed by a Doctor on 11/8/2013 Next: What are the symptoms of rhabdomyolysis? 1 2 3 4 5 Next Rhabdomyolysis Index Patient Comments Viewers share their comments Rhabdomyolysis - Describe Your Experience Please describe your experience with R habdomyolysis. View 29 Comments Submit Rhabdomyolysis - Symptoms What were the symptoms of your rhabdomyolysis? View 23 Comments Submit Rhabdomyolysis - Diagnosis What tests and exams did you have that led to a diagn osis of rhabdomyolysis? View 1 Comment Submit Rhabdomyolysis - Treatment What kinds of treatment did you receive for rhabdomyo lysis? View 1 Comment Submit MedicineNet Doctors Suggested Reading on Rhabdomyolysis by Our Doctors Related Diseases & Conditions 18 articles Hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism is any state in which thyroid hormone production is b elow normal. Normally, the rate of thyroid hormone production is controlled by t he Kidney Failure Kidney failure can occur from an acute event or a chronic condition or disease. Prerenal kidney failure is caused by blood loss, dehydration, medica tion. Hyperkalemia (High Blood Potassium) Hyperkalemia is an abnormally high level of potassium in the blood. Symptoms of hyperkalemia include nausea, fatigue, tingling sensations, or muscle weakness. Seizure (Epilepsy) Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which the person has seizures. There are two kinds of seizures, focal and generalized. There are many causes of epil epsy.

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