Rhabdomyolysis due to primary hyperaldosteronism

Rhabdomyolysis may be secondary to trauma, excessive muscle activity, hereditary muscle enzyme defects and other medical causes. Primary hyperaldosteronism is characterised by hypertension, hypokalemia, suppressed plasma renin activity, and increased aldosterone excretion. Rhabdomyolysis is not common in primary hyperaldosteronism. We report here a 42-year-old woman presenting with rhabdomyolysis as heralding symptom of primary hyperaldosteronism. We also carried out a search of the literature to identify all cases of rhabdomyolysis as the first-recognized expression of a primary hyperaldosteronism. Sixteen cases met the criteria for inclusion. When rhabdomyolysis occurs in a patient with hypokalemia and metabolic alkalosis, primary hyperaldosteronism has to be suspected: if confirmed, an aldosterone-producing adenoma is the most probable cause.