A case of rhabdomyolysis induced acute renal failure secondary to statin-fibrate-derivative combination and occult hypothyroidism.

Rhabdomyolysis is a syndrome characterized by muscle necrosis and the release of intracellular muscle contents into the systemic circulation. We hereby report a patient proved to be a case of unrecognized hypothyroidism presenting with rhabdomyolytic acute renal failure precipitated by the combined use of statin and fenofibrate. A 63-year-old woman was referred to our department because of fatigue, diffuse muscle pain and oliguria. On the basis of pathogenesis, clinical and laboratory examination the diagnoses of acute renal failure secondary to the statin-fibrate-derivative combination induced rhabdomyolysis and auto-immune thyroiditis induced hypothyroidism were made. Although saline, furosemide and sodium bicarbonate infusions enabled diuresis and have led to a rapid recovery of renal function and normalization of blood pressure in five days (creatinine level decreased from 4.5 mg/dl to 1.2 mg/dl), only thyroid replacement therapy (0,1 mg thyroxine) that begun after the exclusion of adrenal insufficiency resulted in complete resolution of rhabdomyolysis. This prompted the diagnosis of background, clinically silent rhabdomyolysis aggrevated by the statin-fibrate-derivative combination. To our knowledge this case illustrates the first example of rhabdomyolytic acute renal failure induced by a statin-fibrate-derivative combination with underlying hypothyroidism which was responsible for the basal clinically unobservable rhabdomyolysis.