Logan Steele
When muscles are damaged, they can rupture or explode, releasing their contents into the bloodstream. This is known as rhabdomyolysis, or 'rhabdo' for short. The contents of muscle cells include myoglobulin, a protein building block of muscle, creatine kinase, and electrolytes such as potassium and calcium. This can cause imbalances throughout the body, leading to an irregular heartbeat, cardiac arrest, or issues with liver and brain function.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Medical term | Rhabdomyolysis, or "rhabdo" for short |
| Cause | Exhaustive muscular work, especially following a period of inactivity |
| Effect | Intracellular contents are released into the bloodstream |
| Contents released | Enzymes, such as creatine kinase; electrolytes, such as potassium and calcium; and proteins, such as myoglobin |
| Effect of myoglobin | Can block the kidney filtration system, or renal tubules, that serve as kidney plumbing |
| Effect of myoglobin | Can dissociate into toxic byproducts that injure kidneys |
| Effect of myoglobin | In rare cases, too much myoglobin in the bloodstream can stop kidney function altogether |
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What You'll Learn
- Rhabdomyolysis: the medical term for skeletal muscle cell rupture, which can lead to kidney failure
- Crush injuries: when muscles are damaged, swelling can occur, causing compartment syndrome
- Exercise: exhaustive muscular work can cause mechanical and chemical disruptions to muscle cell membranes, triggering the muscle cells to burst
- Imbalances: the release of muscle fibre contents into the bloodstream can cause imbalances throughout the body, leading to an irregular heartbeat or cardiac arrest
- Liver and brain function: the release of muscle fibre contents can also affect liver and brain function
Rhabdomyolysis: the medical term for skeletal muscle cell rupture, which can lead to kidney failure
Rhabdomyolysis is the medical term for skeletal muscle cell rupture, which can lead to kidney failure. When muscle cells rupture or explode, the intracellular contents are released into the bloodstream. These cellular contents include enzymes, such as creatine kinase; electrolytes, such as potassium and calcium; and proteins, such as myoglobin. Myoglobin, in particular, is a large, red protein that can block the kidney filtration system, or renal tubules, that serve as kidney plumbing. It can also dissociate into toxic byproducts that injure kidneys. In rare cases, too much myoglobin in the bloodstream can stop kidney function altogether, as happened with a 27-year-old marathon runner who died from kidney failure.
Rhabdomyolysis was first appreciated as a significant complication from crush and blast injuries sustained in a volcanic eruption in Italy in 1908. Victims of blast injuries during the first and second world wars helped further our understanding of the relationship between massive muscle damage and kidney failure.
Exhaustive muscular work, especially following a period of inactivity, can cause mechanical and chemical disruptions to muscle cell membranes, which trigger the muscle cells to burst. This can also occur when there is damage to the skeletal muscle. The injured muscle cell leaks myoglobin (a protein) into the bloodstream.
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Crush injuries: when muscles are damaged, swelling can occur, causing compartment syndrome
Crush injuries can cause muscles to explode, leading to swelling and compartment syndrome. When muscles are damaged, they can release their contents, including myoglobulin, a protein building block of muscle, creatine kinase, and electrolytes such as potassium and calcium, into the bloodstream. This is known as rhabdomyolysis, or "rhabdo" for short, and can cause imbalances throughout the body, leading to an irregular heartbeat, cardiac arrest, and impaired liver and brain function. In rare cases, too much myoglobin in the bloodstream can stop kidney function altogether.
Compartment syndrome occurs when the pressure inside the muscle compartment increases due to swelling, compromising the blood supply to the muscle and causing muscle cells to die. This is more likely to occur in areas where the muscle is bound by fascia, a tough fibrous tissue membrane.
Exhaustive muscular work, especially following a period of inactivity, can also cause muscle cells to burst. This can be due to mechanical and chemical disruptions to muscle cell membranes. It is important to note that rhabdomyolysis was first recognised as a significant complication from crush and blast injuries sustained during a volcano eruption in Italy in 1908.
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Exercise: exhaustive muscular work can cause mechanical and chemical disruptions to muscle cell membranes, triggering the muscle cells to burst
Exhaustive muscular work can cause mechanical and chemical disruptions to muscle cell membranes, triggering the muscle cells to burst. This is known as rhabdomyolysis, or 'rhabdo' for short. When muscle cells rupture or explode, the intracellular contents are released into the bloodstream. These cellular contents include enzymes, such as creatine kinase; electrolytes, such as potassium and calcium; and proteins, such as myoglobin. Myoglobin, in particular, is a big, red protein that can block the kidney filtration system, or renal tubules, that serve as kidney plumbing. It can also dissociate into toxic byproducts that injure kidneys. In rare cases, too much myoglobin in the bloodstream can stop kidney function altogether. This can lead to an irregular heartbeat and even cardiac arrest, or it can mess with your liver and brain function.
Rhabdomyolysis was first appreciated as a significant complication from crush and blast injuries sustained in a volcano eruption in Italy, in 1908. Victims of blast injuries during the First and Second World Wars helped further understand the relationship between massive muscle damage and kidney failure.
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Imbalances: the release of muscle fibre contents into the bloodstream can cause imbalances throughout the body, leading to an irregular heartbeat or cardiac arrest
When muscle cells rupture or explode, the intracellular contents are released into the bloodstream. These contents include enzymes, electrolytes, and proteins. This can cause imbalances throughout the body, leading to an irregular heartbeat or even cardiac arrest.
The release of muscle fibre contents can cause an irregular heartbeat because it can overload your kidneys, which are not used to filtering these contents. This can lead to kidney failure. In rare cases, too much myoglobin in the bloodstream can stop kidney function altogether. Myoglobin, a protein building block of muscle, can also be directly toxic to kidney cells, impairing and clogging the filtration system of the kidney.
Exhaustive muscular work, especially following a period of inactivity, can cause mechanical and chemical disruptions to muscle cell membranes, triggering the muscle cells to burst. This can happen when there is damage to the skeletal muscle, such as in the case of crush injuries or blast injuries.
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Liver and brain function: the release of muscle fibre contents can also affect liver and brain function
When muscles explode, the intracellular contents are released into the bloodstream. These contents include myoglobulin, a protein building block of muscle, creatine kinase, and electrolytes such as potassium and calcium. This can cause imbalances throughout the body, including affecting liver and brain function. It can also overload the kidneys, which are not used to filtering these contents. In rare cases, too much myoglobin in the bloodstream can stop kidney function altogether, as happened with a 27-year-old marathon runner who died from kidney failure.
The medical term for skeletal muscle cell rupture is "rhabdomyolysis", or "rhabdo" for short. Rhabdomyolysis was first appreciated as a significant complication from crush and blast injuries sustained in a volcano eruption in Italy in 1908. Victims of blast injuries during the First and Second World Wars helped further understand the relationship between massive muscle damage and kidney failure.
Exhaustive muscular work, especially following a period of inactivity, can cause mechanical and chemical disruptions to muscle cell membranes, which trigger the muscle cells to burst. When muscles are damaged, especially due to a crush injury, swelling within the muscle can occur, causing compartment syndrome. If this occurs in an area where the muscle is bound by fascia (a tough fibrous tissue membrane), the pressure inside the muscle compartment can increase to the point at which blood supply to the muscle is compromised and muscle cells begin to die.
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Frequently asked questions
The medical term for skeletal muscle cell rupture is “rhabdomyolysis,” or “rhabdo” for short.
Exhaustive muscular work, especially following a period of inactivity, can cause mechanical and chemical disruptions to muscle cell membranes which trigger the muscle cells to burst.
When muscle cells rupture or explode, the intracellular contents are released into the bloodstream. These cellular contents include enzymes, such as creatine kinase; electrolytes, such as potassium; and proteins, such as myoglobin.
Myoglobin, in particular, is a big, red protein that can block the kidney filtration system, or renal tubules, that serve as kidney plumbing. It also can dissociate into toxic byproducts that injure kidneys. In rare cases, too much myoglobin in the bloodstream can stop kidney function altogether.
