Rhabdomyolysis: causes and consequences of increased CK

Abstract

Introduction: Rhabdomyolysis is a clinical syndrome that results from the necrosis of muscle fibers with passage of its components (creatine kinase (CK), myoglobin, aldolase) into the circulation. It is defined as CK levels greater than 1000IU/L or five times higher than the normal values. Early complications include liver dysfunction and arrhythmias, whereas late complications include disseminated intravascular coagulation and acute kidney injury.
Objective: To analyze how CK values vary depending on the cause of rhabdomyolysis and to evaluate how many of the patients analyzed develop acute kidney injury in the context of the maximum peaks of this enzyme.
Materials and Methods: Sera from fifteen patients (without manifestation of basic pathology and/or previous history of disease) who attended the emergency room with compatible symptoms were processed. CK, urea and creatinine were determined with the Abbott Architect c8000 26440 equipment. The methods used for these determinations were NAC activated for CK, the urease/UV method for urea, and the alkaline kinetic picrate method for creatinine. Results: The analysis of the data showed that 46% of the patients studied were young people between 25 and 35years old, and that 73% of them were male. The most frequent cause of rhabdomyolysis was the practice of spinning, secondly polytrauma cases, and thirdly cocaine use and statin poisoning. The results also showed that 46% of the patients developed acute kidney injury.
Conclusion: Patients who developed acute kidney injury presented higher values of CK, and grade of renal dysfunction was related to the total amount of CK reached.