Rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury associated with hypothyroidism and statin therapy.

Journal: Endocrinology And Metabolism (Seoul, Korea)
Published:
Abstract

Rhabdomyolysis is a syndrome involving the breakdown of skeletal muscle that causes myoglobin and other intracellular proteins to leak into the circulatory system, resulting in organ injury including acute kidney injury. We report a case of statin-induced rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury that developed in a 63-year-old woman with previously undiagnosed hypothyroidism. Untreated hypothyroidism may have caused her hypercholesterolemia requiring statin treatment, and it is postulated that statin-induced muscle injury was aggravated by hypothyroidism resulting in her full-blown rhabdomyolysis. Although this patient was successfully treated with continuous venovenous hemofiltration and L-thyroxin replacement, rhabdomyolysis with acute kidney injury is a potentially life-threatening disorder. Physicians must pay special attention to the possible presence of subclinical hypothyroidism when administering statins in patients with hypercholesterolemia.

Authors
Pyoung Ahn, Hyun-jun Min, Sang-hyun Park, Byoung-mu Lee, Myung-jin Choi, Jong-woo Yoon, Ja-ryong Koo