Rhabdomyolysis, a condition where muscle tissue breaks down rapidly, can cause muscle weakness, pain, and changes in urine output. It can be caused by severe muscle trauma, medications, or genetic disorders. Complications can be serious, including coma and death. Treatment involves stabilizing the patient and resolving the underlying cause, and patients at risk should be monitored closely.
Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which muscle tissue breaks down rapidly, include muscle weakness and pain, along with changes in the patient’s urine output. This condition is often associated with severe muscle trauma, as seen in crush injuries, and can also occur as an adverse reaction to medications or in the context of a genetic muscle disorder. Patients should be treated, as the complications of rhabdomyolysis can be quite serious and can include coma and death.
In patients with rhabdomyolysis, disintegrating muscle tissue releases large volumes of muscle proteins such as myoglobin into the bloodstream. The kidneys, designed to filter the blood, are unable to handle high concentrations of these proteins and can begin to fail, setting off a cascading series of reactions, each with its own set of symptoms.
Initially, rhabdomyolysis symptoms involve swelling at the site where the muscles are breaking down, along with severe pain and weakness. As the myoglobin reaches the kidneys, the urine becomes very dark. Some patients stop producing urine altogether, a sign of renal obstruction. When the kidneys begin to fail, blood electrolyte imbalances develop, leading to secondary symptoms of rhabdomyolysis such as nausea, vomiting, heart rate irregularities, and coma.
Treatment of rhabdomyolysis involves stabilizing the patient and resolving the underlying cause. Fluids are usually given, and the patient may undergo hemodialysis to filter the blood and take the place of ailing kidneys. Stopping recent medications, treating severe intoxication, and taking other steps to treat the patient for the cause of rhabdomyolysis should help prevent further skeletal muscle breakdown and make the patient more comfortable.
If a patient experiences symptoms of rhabdomyolysis and they are not identified in time, permanent damage may result. When the kidneys fail, other organs in the body are also affected, and even though kidney function can be restored, these organs can be damaged. For this reason, it’s important for people to seek prompt medical treatment at the first signs of kidney problems, including changes in urine output, abdominal pain, and changes in urine color.
Patients at risk of developing rhabdomyolysis will usually be monitored closely for rhabdomyolysis symptoms and steps taken to address them as quickly as possible. This condition was first identified in patients pulled from collapsed buildings during World War II, and because of the close association with crush injuries, patients who were crushed or compressed are closely observed during the course of treatment.
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