[Rhabdomyolysis caused by pravastatin and type 1 macrocreatine kinase]

The authors report a case of rhabdomyolysis which occurred in a 61 year old woman who was receiving pravastatin and who was also found to present with type 1 macrocreatine kinase. Drug induced rhabdomyolysis is common, particularly with HMG Coenzyme A reductase inhibitors. The authors describe the onset of an adverse effect of this type with pravastatin, a recently marketed drug, as has been previously described for lovastatin and simvastatin. The concomitant detection of macrocreatine kinase, the incidence of which is estimated to be between 2 and 5% in the population, raises the question of whether rhabdomyolysis of this type may occur preferentially in patients with this biological anomaly.