"Understanding Rhabdomyolysis: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options"

Rabdo / mio / lysis literally means dissolution of the striated musculature

It is the rapid breakdown of damaged muscle tissue that causes a high release of its components in the blood and extracellular space.

These components include:

-myoglobin,

-creatine kinase

-aldolase

-lactate dehydrogenase

-electrolytes.

The mechanism of musculoskeletal injury is thought to be secondary to intracellular calcium increase caused by depletion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), or by direct damage to the plasma membrane. This intracellular increase in calcium generates a persistent muscle contraction, as well as activation of proteases and phospholipases that generate irreparable cell damage and trigger necrosis of myocytes.

This process can lead to:

1. Kidney damage that can trigger acute kidney failure. (Diaz et al., 2018)

2. Decrease in mineral salts causing hyponatremia (low sodium level), hypokalemia (low potassium level), hyper/hypocalcemia (high calcium level, the recovery phase of the disease or low, the initial phase of the disease). Having too high or low levels of these minerals can cause serious disorders. (Torres et al., 2015)

The oldest documented reference to this disease appears in the Old Testament, where the plague suffered by the Jews during their exodus from Egypt is narrated, which begins after consuming large quantities of quail. (Torres et al., 2015)

At the beginning of the 20th century, the German medical literature describes rhabdomyolysis as Meyer-Betz disease. The first scientists to link the pathophysiological mechanisms of this syndrome and the precise description of the link between rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure were E.G. L. Bywaters and D. Beall. (Bywaters and Beall, 1941)More recently, several cases of rhabdomyolysis have come to light due to an increase in this disease among people who practice Crossfit (Hopkins et al., 2019).