What Is Rhabdomyolysis Insidious about - Research Paper Example

Rhabdomyolysis al affiliation: Introduction Clinically Rhabdomyolysis can be defined as a health condition that entails the breakdown of the muscles fibres of the body that is occasioned by a metabolic or mechanical insult thus leading to the discharge of muscle contents into the blood stream. The muscle content, which is discharged is rich in a number of elements including; organic acids, proteases, potassium, calcium, myoglobin just to name but a few (Oconnor et al., 2008). Rhabdomyolysis mainly occurs when an individual is subjected to rigorous physical exercises which he/she is not routinely used to or he/she may be experiencing low fitness levels and the moment he/she is introduced to intense physical exercises the condition sets in (Carter et al., 2005). The human body is made up of three different types of muscles namely; heart muscles which are very delicate and critical for the survival of human beings, skeletal muscles and finally the smooth muscles. The skeletal muscles are the ones that are responsible for a general movement of the body since they are tasked of anchoring the skeleton at the joints thus facilitating movement. Mainly these are the type of muscles that are prone to infection of Rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis is a common condition among the people and is observed to be a major cause of renal acute failure (Hunter et al., 2006). Etiology Rhabdomyolysis is more of a lifestyle disease that a chronic medical condition thus it is caused by a number of causes many which are related to the manner in which people live their lives. Some of the most notable causes of Rhabdomyolysis are elaborated as follows. Muscle trauma or crush injuries are the premier cause of this condition, and it is responsible for over forty percent of the reported cases of Rhabdomyolysis. When people are involved in accidents that cause severe injuries in the muscles they will often result in the muscles rupturing and the end result will be the muscle contents being discharged into the bloodstream thus causing Rhabdomyolysis (Eberhard, 2000). Severe burns are yet another cause of this condition which takes place the same way muscles trauma unfolds. When one is subjected to intense burning like that of people being lynched or when a building is on fire the body is going to be mutilated due to the intense heat that will be coming from the fire and as a result most of the body tissues will be destroyed hence causing other complications. For the case of the muscles they are going to be burnt until they rupture thus releasing their contents into the blood hence the Rhabdomyolysis condition will set in soon (Will, 2011). Moreover, physical torture also is another cause that is associated with this condition. Situations such as mob justice or physical abuse by thugs or muggers can lead to the development of this condition since the vigorous physical mutilation or beating that an individual is subjected to can give rise to the damaging of the muscle tissues which in turn will result to Rhabdomyolysis developing (Huerta-Alardín et al.,2005). In addition, severe muscle contractions from prolonged seizures is yet another cause of Rhabdomyolysis that occurs in the event an individual is involved in a seizure he/she will tend to lose consciousness since this occurs for a considerable amount of time the person involved will develop Rhabdomyolysis since the muscles will have contracted extremely thus rapturing and hence their contents will be released into the blood stream. This is usually associated with people that are involved in excessive consumption of alcohol and drug abuse especially the use of cocaine (Larbi, 1998; Huerta-Alardín et al., 2005). People who are obese or are not physically fit tend to develop the condition once they engage in vigorous physical activities. This occurs since their muscles are stiff, and their skeletons are not agile enough to accommodate rapid movement that is characterized by physical activities (Oconnor et al., 2008). Thus, in the event of performing those physical activities the body muscles will be straining to cope up with the intensity of the exercises (Oconnor et al., 2008). In the end the muscles will rapture since they would not accommodate any more expansion and contraction thus causing their contents to be discharged into the blood flow hence leading to the condition (Oconnor et al., 2008). Intake of some medications leads to this conditions since they offset the electrolyte balance in the body thus causing an imbalance in potassium and phosphorous levels which in turn will affect the general body metabolism and in the long run it will lead to this condition setting in (Huerta-Alardín et al., 2005). Alternatively, Rhabdomyolysis can be caused by some inflammatory disorders of the muscles that cause the muscles to either expand or contract and in the long run when the condition persists it leads to rapturing of the entire muscle tissues thus the muscle contents are discharged into the blood flow leading to the condition (Oconnor et al., 2008). Finally Rhabdomyolysis can be caused by venom from certain snakes, research has indicated that the venom of some snakes contains certain dangerous elements which when they get into the blood stream will tend to induce the condition as they disturb the electrolyte balance in blood thus leading to Rhabdomyolysis (Khan, 2009) Signs and symptoms Clinically the initial symptoms and signs that are often characterized with Rhabdomyolysis are so general that you cannot readily conclude that they insinuate the disease (Sauret and Marinides, 2002).Further clinical test will be required to ascertain if indeed the symptoms were as a result of the condition. The symptoms are not specific since they are so general in the sense that they can also be caused by another condition which is different from Rhabdomyolysis. Myolysis is the initial symptom of an individual suffering from, Rhabdomyolysis this is intense muscle aches and pains, which are so severe that they impede comfortable movement of the joints of the affected areas (Eberhard, 2000). The other symptoms include muscle weakness, which is followed by stiffness in that the movement of the affected areas is limited due to pain and muscle aches. Finally, Rhabdomyolysis is characterized by darkening of the urine due to the presence of myoglobin. When the muscles rapture myoglobin is released into the blood and later excreted into the urine thus causing the darkening effect in urine. Despite the above signs and symptoms being associated with Rhabdomyolysis they are however not specific symptoms that should be solely depended on further medical examination is always required to ascertain if indeed the said condition is responsible for the signs (Eberhard, 2000). Prognosis The entire prognosis of Rhabdomyolysis is quite favorable since if the condition is detected in time and relevant medical attention sought it will be done away with quickly. However if it persists without being detected it can result in other major complications such as kidney failure due to plugging of the kidney tube that filters blood by muscle proteins that have leached into the blood stream (Eberhard, 2000). That notwithstanding another notable complication that is associated with this condition if it goes undetected is known as compartment syndrome (Eberhard, 2000). This occurs as a result of muscle injury that then leads to some pressure being exerted on that particular place which will in turn lead to compromised blood circulation for that affected part. Abnormal electrolysis is yet another condition that is associated with Rhabdomyolysis being undetected for long as it will lead to high levels of elements such as potassium in blood thus causing a electrolyte imbalance (Larbi, 1998). Therefore, despite this health condition leading to serious complications, if not attended to in its earlier stages its causes are normally reversible since they only require medical attention coupled up with physical exercises and the problem will be solved amicably. Often Rhabdomyolysis is suggested by examination of the history of the physical activities of the affected person, and once the events insinuates the condition, it is confirmed by medical tests that involve both blood and urine tests. Once elements of muscle enzymes such as creatine kinase are confirmed to be present in blood (Eberhard, 2000), the condition is ascertained, and relevant medical therapy is administered to treat it. If detected early and with correct medication the condition can be treated and cured easily however if it is left to persist it may lead to other complications such as kidney failure that may jeopardize the health of the affected person (Eberhard, 2000). Medical intervention The treatment of Rhabdomyolysis is mostly based on the causes of a particular strain as well as the serenity or intensity of the condition. Medication is mainly based on the causative agents that caused the condition that needs to be identified first before medication can be administered (Huerta-Alardín et al., 2005). Some of the possible medications include; discontinuation of medication such as statins drugs since they cause electrolyte imbalance in the body, electrolyte replacement whenever the imbalance condition cannot be rectified and finally treatment of a raptured or damaged muscle to ensure it does not discharge its contents into the blood circulations (Huerta-Alardín et al., 2005). Physical therapy intervention This takes place in four phases in which each have its activities and objectives (Baxter and Moore, 2003). In the first phase, it involves the patients being subjected to rest for more than seventy hours while he/she is being encouraged to adopt oral hydration. Next the patient is made to sleep for eight hours in consecutive nights to regenerate the metabolism mechanism of the body. The patient should stay in an environment, which is thermally controlled especially if the Rhabdomyolysis condition were caused by injury as a result of heat. Phase two is characterized by light physical activities which the patient does at his/her pace without coercion. Later on a care provider will provide guidance after a week of personal practice. The last phase mainly involves rigorous training and physical activities which the patient used to do before the condition started. This is basically meant to encourage body fitness and ensure the patient enjoys his/her normal life without any medical limitation (Baxter and Moore, 2003). References Baxter,R.E and Moore,J.H.(2003).Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Exertional Rhabdomyolysis. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 33:3.Retreaved from http://www.jospt.org/doi/pdf/10.2519/jospt.2003.33.3.104 Carter Ill, R., S.N. Cheuvront, J.O. Williams, et al. (2005). Epidemiology of hospitalizations and deaths from heat illness in soldiers. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 37:1338-1334, Eberhard, R. (eds) (2000). Rhabdomyolysis: Disease of the Month. Retrieved from http://jasn.asnjournals.org/content/11/8/1553.full.pdf+html Huerta-Alardín, A. L, Varon Joseph and Marik E Paul. (2005). Bench-to-bedside review: Rhabdomyolysis ,an overview for Clinicians; Critical Care,9:158-169. Retrieved from http://ccforum.com/content/pdf/cc2978.pdf Hunter, J. D, Kart, G., and Zeherali, D. (2006). Rhabdomyolysis. Retrieved from http://ceaccp.oxfordjournals.org/content/6/4/141.extract Khan, F.Y. (2009) Rhabdomyolysis: a review of the literature, Department of Medicine, Hamad General Hospital,The journal of medicine,67:9. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F38022526_Rhabdomyolysis_a_review_of_the_literature%2Flinks%2F0fcfd505801049f822000000.pdf&ei=lsurVOKPEY2U7QbXwoCIDw&usg=AFQjCNEA_MFkpQxELHhDbblfMuXW8kOK4Q Larbi, E.B. (1998).Drug Induced Rhabdomyolysis. Annals of Saudi Medicine, Vol 18, No 6. Retrieved from http://www.kfshrc.edu.sa/annals/Old/186/98-069.pdf Oconnor, F.G., F.H. Brennan, Jr., W. Campbell, Y., Heled, and P. Deuster. (2008). Return to physical activity after exertional rhabdomyolysis. Curro Sports Med. Rep., Vol. 7, Nc. 6, pp. 328-331. Retrieved from http://missyleone.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Return-Physical-Activity-after-Exertional-Rhabdomyolysis.pdf Sauret J. M and Marinides.(2002). Rhabdomyolsis Am Fam Physician, 1;65(5):907-913. Retrieved from http://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/0301/p907.html. Will, W. (2011). Rhabdomyolysis. The CrossFit Journal. Retrieved from http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ_Wright_Rhabdo.pdf Read More