Muscle disease associated with renal failure

A 54-year-old woman had muscle disease that terminated fatally with complete body paralysis. The patient had renal failure, which progressed concurrently with her muscle weakness. Myoglobinuria was not demonstrated during the active stage of her illness. Renal biopsy specimens demonstrated immune deposits in the glomeruli, and, at autopsy, there was a generalized glomerulonephritis. We believe the muscle disease was a consequence of acute rhabdomyolysis, hyperacute polymyositis, or virus infection. Regardless of the nature of the muscle disease, an immune mechanism may have been responsible for the associated renal failure.