Abstract
Rhabdomyolysis refers to acute breakdown of muscle; often the precipitating factor is not immediately apparent. We report an unusual temporal association between rhabdomyolysis and Crohn’s disease, a systemic and traditionally considered a non-neurological autoimmune disorder. We present a 20-year-old male who was admitted for a two-day history of severe upper limb and chest tenderness after a light gym workout. The creatinine kinase at presentation was significantly elevated to 55,453 unit/L with normal K and renal function. Urine myoglobulin was also positive and he was subsequently diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis. Extensive serum workup for myopathy was negative and the symptoms of rhabdomyolysis had completely resolved within six weeks. Two months after this admission, he presented to emergency with two weeks of colicky abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea. He was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease following colonoscopy but concurrently had no myalgia.
Crohn’s disease has been associated with myopathy, albeit rarely, and we propose that this patient, may have been predisposed to developing rhabdomyolysis after light exercise due to an underlying autoimmune process.
