rhabdomyolysis

Rhabdomyolysis is a clinical syndrome characterised by the destruction of skeletal muscle with subsequent leakage of intracellular muscle contents into the systemic circulation. It is commonly caused by trauma, strenuous physical activities, medications, illicit drug use, toxins, infections and electrolyte abnormalities. It can manifest as myalgia, muscle weakness, or myoglobinuria with or without acute kidney injury. Severe hypokalaemia leading to rhabdomyolysis is a rare initial presentation of primary aldosteronism, with limited case reports in existing medical literature.

The placebo-corrected incidence of rhabdomyolysis in a systematic review of 20 statin trials was 1.6/100,000 per year. It is likely to be higher than this in everyday clinical practice when statins are knowingly or inadvertently co-prescribed with drugs that interfere with their metabolism. We report a case of rhabdomyolysis causing muscle weakness and prolonging an episode of dialysisdependent acute kidney injury, which occurred when fusidic acid was co-prescribed with atorvastatin. Renal function and muscle power recovered when both drugs were withdrawn.