Tularemia and rhabdomyolysis

Rhabdomyolysis as a complication of tularemia occurred in four patients in Tennessee over a four-year period. All patients were severely ill and had renal failure. Tularemia was not suspected initially in any of these patients. One patient died of complications of rhabdomyolysis. At autopsy, multipl...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 253; no. 2; p. 241
Main Authors Kaiser, A B, Rieves, D, Price, A H, Gelfand, M R, Parrish, R E, Decker, M D, Evans, M E
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 11.01.1985
Subjects
Adult
Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation - etiology
Female
Humans
Lung Diseases - etiology
Male
Middle Aged
Muscles - pathology
Rhabdomyolysis - etiology
Rhabdomyolysis - pathology
Tularemia - complications
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:Rhabdomyolysis as a complication of tularemia occurred in four patients in Tennessee over a four-year period. All patients were severely ill and had renal failure. Tularemia was not suspected initially in any of these patients. One patient died of complications of rhabdomyolysis. At autopsy, multiple abscesses were present within skeletal muscle, suggesting that rhabdomyolysis resulted from direct muscle involvement with Francisella tularensis. Tularemia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with an acute febrile illness and rhabdomyolysis. Conversely, in patients with acute tularemia, the possibility of rhabdomyolysis should be entertained early, especially in those with evidence of myoglobinuria and/or impaired renal function.
ISSN:0098-7484
DOI:10.1001/jama.1985.03350260093033