Rhabdomyolysis is a physiological process resulting from damage, such as trauma, to your skeletal muscles. This damage to your muscles eventually causes a buildup of the electrolyte potassium in your bloodstream. Excess serum potassium, or hyperkalemia, leads to serious symptoms, some of which are dangerous, and potentially fatal, if you do not seek timely medical intervention.
Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis can lead to kidney impairment or failure by way of myoglobin. When damage occurs to skeletal muscles, muscle fibers release the substance, myoglobin into your blood. Myoglobin acts as a toxin to your kidneys by blocking important structures within them. When your kidneys are not working properly, you are at risk for hyperkalemia, an electrolyte imbalance of high serum potassium.
Causes and Symptoms
Causes of rhabdomyolysis include any event that causes damage or toxicity to your muscles. Crush injuries and trauma, physical overexertion, seizures and heatstroke are all causes of rhabdomyolysis. The same is true of drug overdose and alcoholism. Symptoms of the disorder include weakness or stiffness of the involved muscles, general weakness and red- or cola-colored urine. Other symptoms of rhabdomyolysis are fatigue, unintentional weight gain, seizures and joint pain.
Hyperkalemia
Hyperkalemia results from untreated rhabdomyolysis. Your serum potassium level should range between 3.6 and 4.8 mEq/L. If rhabdomyolysis causes your potassium to climb higher than 6.0 mEq/L, the imbalance of potassium becomes a dangerous condition requiring immediate treatment. Symptoms of the condition include weakness, nausea, muscle fatigue, paralysis and dangerous, abnormal heart rhythms.
Treatment
After your doctor diagnoses rhabdomyolysis, your prognosis depends on the amount of kidney damage caused by the myoglobin. Immediate treatment involves aggressive infusion of intravenous fluids to flush the myoglobin from your kidneys. Patients whose kidney damage is profound may require a regimen of kidney dialysis. Your doctor may also prescribe bicarbonate and diuretic medications. Expect your doctor to recommend a return to normal activity in 2 to 4 weeks, or even longer, depending on the severity of your rhabdomyolysis.
