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Rhabdomyolysis, Acute Renal Failure and Legionnalres' Disease
Background
Infections have been recognized as an uncommon cause of rhabdomyolysis, with evidence indicating a worse prognosis when compared to rhabdomyolysis caused by other etiologies. Diseases caused by Legionella pneumophila can present variably, ranging from mild to severe illness, as is sometimes the case with pneumonia. In particular, the triad of Legionnaire’s disease, rhabdomyolysis, and acute kidney injury is associated with a significant increase in the morbidity and mortality, with most patients requiring initiation of renal replacement therapy such as hemodialysis. While the exact mechanism of both the muscle and kidney injury in this setting remains unknown, several hypotheses exist, with some research suggesting multiple yet distinct processes occurring in both target organs.
Case presentation
In this case report, we describe a 53-year-old African American man who presented with Legionella pneumophila pneumonia complicated by rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury. He was treated with aggressive fluid resuscitation and a 2-week course of azithromycin. His clinical status improved without necessitating renal replacement therapy or mechanical ventilation. We postulate that early recognition and treatment were key to his recovery. He was discharged 10 days later without recurrence of rhabdomyolysis at the time of this report.
Conclusion
While there are several well-established and more common causes of rhabdomyolysis, clinicians should recognize Legionella sp. as an etiology, given its association with significant morbidity and mortality.
Background
COVID-19 case numbers have begun to rise with the recently reported Omicron variant. In the last two years, COVID-19 is the first diagnosis that comes to mind when a patient is admitted with respiratory symptoms and pulmonary ground-glass opacities. However, other causes should be kept in mind as well. Here we present a case of Legionnaires’ disease misdiagnosed as COVID-19.
Case Presentation
A 48-year-old male was admitted with complaints of dry cough and dyspnea. Chest computed-tomography revealed bilateral ground-glass opacities; therefore, a preliminary diagnosis of COVID-19 was made. However, two consecutive COVID PCR tests were negative and the patient deteriorated rapidly. As severe rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure were present, Legionnaires’ disease was suspected. Urine antigen test for Legionella and Legionella pneumophila PCR turned out to be positive. The patient responded dramatically to intravenous levofloxacin and was discharged successfully.
Discussion
Legionnaires’ disease and COVID-19 may present with similar signs and symptoms. They also share common risk factors and radiological findings.
Conclusions
Shared clinical and radiological features between COVID-19 and other causes of acute respiratory failure pose a challenge in diagnosis. Other causes such as Legionnaires’ disease must be kept in mind and appropriate diagnostic tests should be performed accordingly.
Introduction
A number of case and case series descriptions established an association between Legionella infection and hyperCKemia, but the frequency and severity of hyperCKemia in Legionella infection remain unknown. This study aims to investigate the incidence, extent, and consequences of hyperCKemia in a large group of patients with Legionella infection.
Methods
This retrospective study included patients with confirmed Legionella infection during a ten-year period who received creatine kinase (CK) testing. Comparisons were performed between groups of Legionella patients with and without hyperCKemia.
Results
A total of 267 patients were included. HyperCKemia was present in 144 (53.9%) patients. The mean peak CK value was 9598 IU/L (range: 226 to 462,000 IU/L) while peak CK exceeded 1000 IU/L in 82 (56.9%) patients and 5000 IU/L in 33 (22.9%). When compared to patients without hyperCKemia, patients with hyperCKemia had higher incidences of neurologic symptoms (p = 0.036), acute renal failure (p = 0.028), dialysis requirement (p = 0.009), and need for ICU care (p = 0.016). HyperCKemia resolved in most Legionella patients by 7 days from CK peaking.
Discussion
Legionella infection requiring hospitalization appears to be associated with increased incidence of hyperCKemia and rhabdomyolysis. Greater awareness of the high incidence and the possible severity of hyperCKemia is needed when treating patients with Legionella infection.
Purpose:
To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of severe Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia complicated by rhabdomyolysis and to improve the success rate of treatment.
Patients and methods:
The clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of four patients with severe C. psittaci pneumonia complicated by rhabdomyolysis diagnosed by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively.
Results:
All four patients were male, aged 46-64 years, and all had a history of bird contact. All patients had fever, fatigue, tea-colored urine, myalgia, and two patients were unable to walk. C. psittaci DNA was found by mNGS of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of all four patients. Their creatine kinase was >1000 U/L, and myoglobin, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and brain natriuretic peptide were significantly increased. The McMahon score of three patients was >6 points, of whom one patient suffered from acute kidney injury; he was treated with continuous renal replacement therapy and eventually died. After diagnosis, three patients were treated with doxycycline and quinolones and were discharged after recovery.
Conclusion:
Psittacosis complicated by rhabdomyolysis is characterized by fever, fatigue, myalgia, and tea-colored urine, with significant increases in creatine kinase and myoglobin. The McMahon score should be applied early to assess the risk of acute kidney injury, and renal replacement therapy and renal protection therapy should be initiated in the early stage. Among severely ill patients, early use of empirical antibiotics, including quinolones, may improve the prognosis.
Background:
Bacterial community-acquired atypical pneumonia is sometimes complicated by a myositis or by a renal parenchymal disease. Available reviews do not mention the concurrent occurrence of both myositis and acute kidney injury.
Methods:
In order to characterize the link between bacterial community-acquired atypical pneumonia and both myositis and a renal parenchymal disease, we reviewed the literature (United States National Library of Medicine and Excerpta Medica databases).
Results:
We identified 42 previously healthy subjects (35 males and 7 females aged from 2 to 76, median 42 years) with a bacterial atypical pneumonia associated both with myositis (muscle pain and creatine kinase ≥5 times the upper limit of normal) and acute kidney injury (increase in creatinine to ≥1.5 times baseline or increase by ≥27 μmol/L above the upper limit of normal). Thirty-six cases were caused by Legionella species (N = 27) and by Mycoplasma pneumoniae (N = 9). Further germs accounted for the remaining 6 cases. The vast majority of cases (N = 36) presented a diffuse myalgia. Only a minority of cases (N = 3) were affected by a calf myositis. The diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis-associated kidney injury was retained in 37 and that of acute interstitial nephritis in the remaining 5 cases.
Conclusion:
Bacterial atypical pneumonia may occasionally induce myositis and secondary kidney damage.
Rationale
Rhabdomyolysis is a well-known syndrome in clinical practice, although rhabdomyolysis caused by a liver abscess is rarely reported and the patient may lack symptoms that are associated with a primary site of infection. Early recognition of this possibility is needed to avoid diagnostic delay and facilitate treatment. We report the case of a 71-year-old woman with a Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) pyogenic liver abscess who presented with myasthenia and tea-colored urine and also review the 77 reported cases of bacterial rhabdomyolysis.
Patient concerns
The patient was 71 years old and presenting with a 7-day history of myasthenia and a 3-day history of tea-colored urine, but without fever or abdominal pain.
Diagnoses
Laboratory testing in our case revealed rhabdomyolysis, and blood culture revealed KP. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a hypoechoic enclosed mass, and computed tomography (CT) revealed an enclosed low-density mass (8.3 × 6.6 × 6.1 cm). The main diagnoses were a pyogenic liver abscess with rhabdomyolysis.
Interventions
Empirically intravenous piperacillin-sulbactam and intravenous potassium treatment, as well as fluid infusions and other supportive treatments were provided after admission. After the diagnosis was confirmed and susceptibility test results were available, we adjusted the antibiotics to cefoperazone and sulbactam, which were maintained for 6 weeks.
Outcomes
The patient's symptoms relieved and the abnormal laboratory parameters corrected. Follow-up abdominal ultrasonography at 24 months after her discharge revealed that the abscess had disappeared.
Lessons
Early recognition and careful consideration of the underlying cause of rhabdomyolysis are critical to improving the patient's prognosis. Thus, physicians should carefully consider the underlying cause in elderly patients who present with rhabdomyolysis, as they may lack symptoms of a primary infection.
Als nach dem Treffen der „American Legion“, des mächtigen Veteranenverbandes, 1976, im Jahr der 200. Wiederkehr der Unabhängigkeitserklärung in Philadelphia, viele der Teilnehmer schwer erkrankten und nicht wenige starben, gab es ungeheuere Aufregung und weltweit große Beachtung. Zeitungen und Fernsehen berichteten tagelang an erster Stelle. Etwas vom Besonderen, das die Erkrankung von Anbeginn umgab, begleitet sie bis heute.
The Editor welcomes readers' comments, and selected letters are published each month. Letters must be signed and should be sent to Editor's Mail at the address shown. The journal reserves the right to condense letters if necessary for space.
A case of nonfatal Legionnaires' disease was complicated by rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinuria, and acute nonoliguric renal failure. It was not determined whether the rhabdomyolysis was secondary to direct toxic effect of the organism or due to a circulating factor causing muscle necrosis. This case provides additional evidence that rhabdomyolysis with subsequent renal failure may be a serious complication of Legionnaires' disease.
• Myoglobinuria and renal failure resulting from bacterial infection have only rarely been reported. To our knowledge, we describe the first reported case of polymicrobial septicemia resulting in rhabdomyolysis and myoglobinuric renal failure. Renal failure secondary to myoglobinuria has an excellent prognosis; in our patient, recovery was complete. The frequency of rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinuria, and renal failure in septicemia is unknown and can only be determined by an increased awareness of this potential complication of septicemia.(Arch Intern Med 1982;142:133-134)
We report a fatal case of Legionnaires' disease associated with myopathy, myoglobinuria, elevated creatine phosphokinase (CPK) level, and pneumonitis. The precise cause of skeletal muscle damage in this patient remains obscure. The association with Legionnaires' disease in this case supports the observation that the Legionnaires' organism has the potential for affecting multiple organ systems, including skeletal muscle. Elevated CPK levels and myoglobinuria in a patient with pneumonitis should suggest the diagnosis of Legionnaires' disease.
As of 30 September 1979, 1005 confirmed cases of sporadic legionellosis caused by Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1 to 4 in U.S. residents had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control; 19% were fatal. All but 2% of the 1005 cases were associated with pneumonia documented by chest radiograph. About 75% of the cases occurred in June through October. The risk of acquiring sporadic legionellosis was increased among males and persons 50 years or older; persons with renal disease necessitating dialysis or transplantation, with chronic bronchitis or emphysema, with diabetes mellitus, and with cancer (10 selected sites or types); persons who smoke; and persons being treated with immunosuppressive drugs. Increasing age and chronic bronchitis or emphysema were associated with increased risk of death. The sensitivity of culturing L. pneumophila from specimens positive by direct immunofluorescence was estimated to be 45%. The distribution of serogroups 1, 2, 3, and 4 of L. pneumophila in 57 fresh, not previously examined direct fluorescent antibody-positive specimens was 84%, 11%, 4%, and 2%, respectively; all 26 strains isolated from these specimens were of one of these four serogroups.
Maladie des Légionnaires, spécificité du diagnostic par immunofluorescence. Deux observations
- Pillot
Rhabdomyolysis and systemic infection
- El Nahas