Rhabdomyolysis is understood to be the syndrome caused by the degeneration and destruction of muscle fibers, a destruction that causes some of the components of these fibers to pass into the bloodstream. Specifically, it highlights myoglobin and various enzymes such as CPK, LDH and GOT, which in high concentrations are toxic to the kidney.
Although the symptoms presented by people with rhabdomyolysis may vary, they usually coincide symptoms such as generalized weakness and fatigue, muscle pain decreased number of urinations and the presence of red or brownish urine.
In general, this condition is usually seen in very physically demanding professions, such as those belonging to the military, firefighters, police officers or athletes. Although there are more and more cases resulting from excessive physical training.
Causes
rhabdomyolysis It is a very unusual disorder, but it can occur for various reasons The three most common reasons that lead to rhabdomyolysis are alcohol consumption, the presence of trauma resulting from accidents and, finally, intense physical exercise.
Other causes of rhabdomyolysis are genetic muscle diseases, seizures and things such as excess body temperature, phosphorus deficiency or dehydration.
Complications of the condition
The effects and severity may depend on factors such as the amount of muscle destroyed. May not be symptomatic or it can cause severe kidney failure and even death.
The most frequent thing that usually occurs as a complication of the condition is usually acute kidney failure, generated by the excessive presence of myoglobinuria. It can be detected by the presence of dark-colored urine, generally brownish and cola-like in appearance. This condition generally occurs when more than one hundred grams of muscle are destroyed, which releases so much myoglobinuria that the kidney is not able to filter and becomes obstructed. Curiously, in this case it has been shown that the greater the muscle mass of the subject, the greater the possibility of this complication occurring.
Other possible complications are the presence of arrhythmias derived from the changes and shedding of cells in the blood. It can also be caused by excesses and deficiencies of other components, such as potassium, phosphate and uric acid which can generate chemical imbalances that can endanger the life of the subject by having the potential to cause heart failure.
How is it treated?
Treatment of rhabdomyolysis may allow for complete recovery of the painting, but it is essential that it begins as quickly as possible. The patient’s continued hydration is prioritized to prevent kidney problems, by injecting serum. Likewise, restore diuresis or normal urination.
Glucose is also injected to prevent dangerous potassium elevations that can cause heart problems. If there is no response to serum or the patient manifests renal failure, hemodialysis is applied.
The prognosis with early treatment is very positive, the vast majority of those affected recovered and the normal functioning of the system and kidneys was restored. However, if not treated in time it can cause the death of the subject.
As mentioned throughout the article, one of the most frequent causes of this disorder is excessive physical exercise.
In this last aspect we can highlight that it can appear in those people who exercise excessively for their physical condition. Especially noteworthy are cases of people who start sports by making excessive efforts for a very long period. In general, excessive muscle breakdown is caused because the muscles are not allowed enough time to adapt to the exercise.
But It also occurs in subjects accustomed to exercise after periods in which they have not exercised or when the demands to which they are subjected exceed what their muscles can withstand.
This does not mean that high-intensity exercise should not be done, but it should be taken into account that it is advisable to adjust the exercise to one’s physical fitness and recognize one’s own limits. You should start little by little and move forward progressively. Warm up the muscles beforehand with simple and not excessively demanding exercises can be essential to avoid this problem.
