Rhabdomyolysis Related to High-dose Atorvastatin: A Case Report

The extreme form of statin-related muscle involvement leading to rhabdomyolysis is not uncommon. We, in this case report, present a patient with rhabdomyolysis following high-dose atorvastatin treatment. The patient was a 60-year-old female with a background of coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndrome, who was subjected to percutaneous coronary intervention and stenting 2 months back and was then put on high-intensity statin (atorvastatin 80 mg daily) and other guideline-recommended drugs. She presented with severe generalized body aches, fatigue, and marked weakness in the proximal muscles of her limbs and acute renal shutdown. She was diagnosed to be a case of statin-induced rhabdomyolysis on the basis of an extremely high creatine phosphokinase level of 36,210 units/L. Despite fluid and electrolyte management and alternate-day hemodialysis, the patient's renal parameters did not improve, and she succumbed on day 15 of hospitalization.