Rosuvastatin-Induced Rhabdomyolysis: A Case Report

Rosuvastatin is a recently approved statin and used widely across the globe for primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular heart disease. It has the highest lipid-lowering property among all statins and relatively well tolerated. Rhabdomyolysis is a rare but potentially serious adverse effect. The present report highlights the case of a patient admitted with proximal myopathy with severe rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury associated with life-threatening hyperkalemia. The symptoms appeared within 1 month of starting rosuvastatin. He required temporary dialysis to overcome the crisis. His myopathy and kidney injury were completely reversible after a few months of stopping the drug. In this report, we have also discussed the various risk factors for developing myopathy with statins and the importance of strict pharmacovigilance, and a greater caution among physicians while using this drug.