Rhabdomyolysis triggered by an asthmatic attack in a patient with McArdle disease.

We describe a patient with McArdle disease who developed rhabdomyolysis triggered by a bronchial asthmatic attack. A 64-year-old man had chronic pulmonary emphysema with asthma, and an asthmatic attack led to severe rhabdomyolysis that required continuous hemodiafiltration. After 2 years, a physical examination revealed atrophy of the extremities compared with previous examinations, especially of the intercostal muscles. During that time, he suffered two severe bronchial asthmatic attacks. His serum level of creatinine kinase remained between 4,000 and 7,000 IU/l when he did not suffer from asthmatic attacks and rhabdomyolysis had abated. Therefore, we suspected that his recent muscle atrophy was caused by asthmatic attacks, and discussed the possibility of his respiratory muscle weakness due to McArdle disease in relation to his severe bronchial asthmatic attacks as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.