Rhabdomyolysis: clinical analysis of 20 patients.

Twenty patients with rhabdomyolysis with and without acute renal failure (ARF) were studied. The patients consisted of 9 males and 11 females with a mean age of 64.5 +/- 3.2 years. Infection, compression and metabolic derangement were implicated as the most common etiologic factors. While 7 patients developed ARF during hospitalization, renal functions were normal in the remaining 13. While the mean ages, serum ARF, significant increases in potassium, phosphate, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine and uric acid were observed. While the mean blood pressure was similar, significant increases in hematocrit and total protein were observed in the patients with ARF. The detailed results indicated that infection, compression and metabolic derangement were the most common etiology factors of rhabdomyolysis, and plasma volume contraction might be responsible for the development of ARF.