Key facts
- Medical condition (new).name
- Rhabdomyolysis
- Medical condition (new).image
- RhabdoUrine.JPG
- Medical condition (new).alt
- A container half-full with brown-stained urine, characteristic for rhabdomyolysis
- Medical condition (new).caption
- Urine from a person with rhabdomyolysis showing the characteristic brown discoloration as a result of myoglobinuria
- Medical condition (new).field
- Critical care medicine, nephrology
- Medical condition (new).symptoms
- Muscle pains, weakness, vomiting, confusion, tea-colored urine, irregular heartbeat
- Medical condition (new).complications
- Kidney failure, high blood potassium, low blood calcium, disseminated intravascular coagulation, compartment syndrome
- Medical condition (new).causes
- Crush injury, strenuous exercise, medications, substance use, certain infections
- Medical condition (new).diagnosis
- Blood test (creatine kinase), urine test strip
- Medical condition (new).treatment
- Intravenous fluids, dialysis, hemofiltration
Article
18 sectionsContents
- Etymology and pronunciation
- Signs and symptoms
- Causes
- Genetic predisposition
- Mechanism
- Diagnosis
- Complications
- Underlying disorders
- Treatment
- Electrolytes
- Acute kidney impairment
- Other complications
- Prognosis
- Epidemiology
- History
- Other animals
- References
- External links
Rhabdomyolysis (shortened as rhabdo) is a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle breaks down rapidly. Symptoms may include muscle pains, weakness, vomiting, and confusion. There may be tea-colored urine or an irregular heartbeat. Some of the muscle breakdown products, such as the protein myoglobin, are harmful to the kidneys and can cause acute kidney injury.
The muscle damage is usually caused by a crush injury, strenuous exercise, medications, or a substance use disorder. Other causes include infections, electrical injury, heat stroke, prolonged immobilization, lack of blood flow to a limb, or snake bites as well as intense or prolonged exercise, particularly in hot conditions. Statins (a class of prescription drugs to lower cholesterol) are considered a small risk. Some people have inherited muscle conditions that increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis. The diagnosis is supported by a urine test strip which is positive for "blood" but the urine contains no red blood cells when examined with a microscope. Blood tests show a creatine kinase activity greater than U/L, with severe disease being above .