Weakness;

My patient with Covid-19-related generalized weakness has rhabdomyolysis. How common is rhabdomyolysis in Covid-19?

FA Manian MD, MPH, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Covid-19-associated rhabdomyolysis has been reported since the early years of the pandemic with an overall prevalence ranging from 4%-20% among hospitalized patients and nearly 50% in ICU patients.1-5

In a 2023 scoping review of Covid-19-associated rhabdomyolysis involving 117 cases (January 2020-July 2022),1 68.4% had at least one reported non-Covid-19 risk factor (excluding hypoxemia), including age 65 years or older, metabolic syndrome features, hypothyroidism, previous rhabdomyolysis, hemoglobinopathy, trauma/compression or selected rhabdomyolysis-associated medications.  Presenting symptoms did not always include myalgias or weakness with some patients only presenting with fever, back pain, respiratory symptoms, or fatigue. Mortality was high (32% and 21% in those with or without other risk factors, respectively).  Routine creatine kinase (CK) testing was suggested for hospitalized patients with a low threshold for testing outpatients with Covid-19.

A 2024 cross-sectional study involving hospitalized Covid-19-patients (March 2020-March 2021) reported the following independent factors for concurrent rhabdomyolysis: male gender, dyspnea, hyponatremia, myalgia, elevated D-dimer, aspartate transaminase-AST (3x higher than normal) and platelet count >450,000 (cells/L).2 In the same study, myalgia was reported in only 30% of patients with rhabdomyolysis.   

Potential mechanisms explaining the association between Covid-19 and rhabdomyolysis include hypoxemia, viral myositis (either directly or immune-mediated), viral-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, cytokine storm, hypovolemia and Covid-related coagulopathies.1,2,4

Bonus Pearl: Did you know that although the 3 most common symptoms of patients with rhabdomyolysis are myalgias, muscle weakness and dark urine, the triad is present in only 10% of patients? 6

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References

  1. Preger A, Wei R, Berg B, et al. Covid-19-associated rhabomyolysis: A scoping review. Intern J Infect Dis 2023:136:115-126. COVID-19-associated rhabdomyolysis: A scoping review – PubMed (nih.gov)
  2. Hashemi B, Farhangi N, Toloul A, et al. Prevalence and predictive factors of rhabydomyolysis in Covid-19 patients: A cross-sectional study. Indian J of Nephrol 2024;34:144-48. Prevalence and Predictive Factors of Rhabdomyolysis in COVID-19 Patients: A Cross-sectional Study – PubMed (nih.gov)
  3. Samardzic T, Muradashvill T, Guirguis S, et al. Relationship between rhabdomyolysis and SARS-CoV-2 disease severity. Cureus 16:e53029 (January 27, 2024). Relationship Between Rhabdomyolysis and SARS-CoV-2 Disease Severity – PubMed (nih.gov)
  4. Haroun MW, Dielev V, Kang J, et al. Rhabdomyolysis in Covid-19 patients: A retrospective observational study. Cureus 13:e12552. Rhabdomyolysis in COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Observational Study – PubMed (nih.gov)
  5. Albaba I, Chopra A, Al-Tarbsheh AH, et al. Incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of rhabdomyolysis in hospitalized patients with Covid-19 infection. Cureus 13:e19802. Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Rhabdomyolysis in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 Infection – PubMed (nih.gov)
  6. Lu W, Li X, You W, et al. Rhabdomyolysis in a patient with end-stage renal disease and SARS-CoV-2 infection: A case report. Medicine 2023;102:48(e36360). Rhabdomyolysis in a patient with end-stage renal disease and SARS-CoV-2 infection: A case report – PMC (nih.gov)

 

Disclosures/Disclaimers: The listed questions and answers are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of Mercy Hospital-St. Louis, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Catalyst, Harvard University, their affiliate academic healthcare centers, or its contributors. Although every effort has been made to provide accurate information, the author is far from being perfect. The reader is urged to verify the content of the material with other sources as deemed appropriate and exercise clinical judgment in the interpretation and application of the information provided herein. No responsibility for an adverse outcome or guarantees for a favorable clinical result is assumed by the author. Thank you!

 

My patient with Covid-19-related generalized weakness has rhabdomyolysis. How common is rhabdomyolysis in Covid-19?

Is there an association between infections and falls?

FA Manian MD, MPH, , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Although the list of factors that lead to falls is long and varied, increasing number of reports have identified falls as a manifestation of infections, including Covid-19.1-4

A retrospective study involving over 1400 patients (mean age 72 years) admitted to the hospital for a fall or its complications found coexisting systemic infections (CSIs) in 21% of patients; 26% in those ≥75 years. Urinary tract infection accounted for 55% of CSIs, followed by pneumonia (36%), skin and soft tissue infections (7%), influenza/influenza-like illness (5%), bacteremia (5%), gastrointestinal infections (2%), and others. 1

Risk factors for CSI include preexisting symptoms (eg, weakness, dizziness), inability to get up on own, confusion, age ≥ 50 years and meeting the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria on presentation.1 Of note, CSI may not initially be suspected by providers in about one-third or more of the cases, with 15% of patients presenting with “mechanical fall” having a CSI.1,2  Fever or SIRS criteria (≥2) are absent in the majority of patients with CSI.1,2

More recently, reports of falls as a presenting feature of Covid-19 have also appeared in the lay press as well as the literature, with 1 study finding 24% of patients with Covid-19 seek care primarily because of syncope, near syncope, or a nonmechanical fall.3,4

Several factors may explain the association of infections with falls, including impairment of skeletal muscle function (eg, through cytokines, hypophosphatemia), poor oral intake and dehydration. 1 Perhaps that’s why inability to get up by one’s self from a fall in the absence of an obvious reason (eg, fracture) may be a clue to a CSI in patient presenting with a fall.

Bonus Pearl: Did you know that falls are a leading cause of injury and death, afflicting one-third of adults aged greater than 65 years each year?1

Disclosure: The author of this blog also was a coinvestigator in 2 cited studies (ref. 1 and 2)

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References

  1. Manian FA, Hsu F, Huang D, et al. Coexisting systemic infections in patients hospitalized because of a fall: prevalence and risk factors. J Emerg Med 2020;58:733-40. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0736467920300214
  2. Blair A, Manian FA. Coexisting systemic infections in patients who present with a fall. Am J Med Sci 2017;353:22-26. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28104099/
  3. Chen T, Hanna J, Walsh EE, et al. Syncope, near syncope, or nonmechanical falls as a presenting feature of COVID-19. Ann Emerg Med 2020 July;76:115-117. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32591120/
  4. Norman RE, Stall NM, Sinha SK. Typically atypical: COVID-19 presenting as a fall in an older adult. J Am Geriatr Soc 2020 July;68:E36-37. DOI:10.1111/gs.16526 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7267373/pdf/JGS-9999-na.pdf

Disclosures: The listed questions and answers are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Catalyst, Harvard University, its affiliate academic healthcare centers, or its contributors. Although every effort has been made to provide accurate information, the author is far from being perfect. The reader is urged to verify the content of the material with other sources as deemed appropriate and exercise clinical judgment in the interpretation and application of the information provided herein. No responsibility for an adverse outcome or guarantees for a favorable clinical result is assumed by the author. Thank you!

Is there an association between infections and falls?