Crayfish-related Haff disease rhabdomyolysis; diagnosis supported by bone scintigraphy.

A number of people suffered rhabdomyolysis caused by eating crayfish in China and the final diagnosis was a rare disease called Haff disease. In this study, we present a 26 years old man with a history of severe muscular soreness for whole body after eating crayfish and this status lasted for about 3 months. Blood analysis showed significant increase in serum creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase. The pathology of left biceps brachii muscle revealed rhabdomyolysis. Technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate ((99m)Tc-MDP) whole body bone scintigraphy showed increased uptake of nearly all muscles, especially those of proximal extremities. The diagnosis was Haff disease supported by histology and clinical characteristics. In conclusion, this case report shows that using bone imaging supports the diagnosis of Haff disease and locates the sites of rhabdomyolysis.