Rhabdomyolysis

Under rhabdomyolysis is understood in the medical dissolution of striated muscle fibers. These include the skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle and diaphragm.

Causes

Traumatic or by the action of external

Non -traumatic causes

Diagnostics

The phase was a slight rhabdomyolysis often only by elevated levels of enzymes that are normally present in the muscle. This includes the creatine kinase, myoglobin and lactate dehydrogenase ( LDH). At high myoglobin levels, the urine turns red - brown by the excretion of myoglobin through the kidneys ( myoglobinuria ). Severe rhabdomyolysis can often be recognized clinically.

Complications

A feared complication of rhabdomyolysis is acute renal failure: the liberated myoglobin can damage the kidney (acute tubular necrosis ). This is done in three ways:

Treatment

A causal treatment is not available. However, rhabdomyolysis is usually made over a longer period and may be potentially reversed with timely prevention of the triggering factors. To prevent damage to the kidneys, forced diuresis is required. In this case, the patient will be several liters of liquid in the form of infusions supplied and urinary excretion stimulated by loop diuretics. This will speed up the excretion of myoglobin and simultaneously dilute the myoglobin in the urine. In addition, the urine can be alkalized in order to prevent precipitation of the myoglobin in the acidic medium. In extreme cases, a blood purification are used to remove the harmful myoglobin from the blood.