title: Rhabdomyolysis in 114 patients with acute poisonings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rhabdomyolysis is a clinical and biochemical syndrome, which is observed in some patients with acute chemical and/or pharmaceutical poisonings. We aimed to investigate rhabdomyolysis in patients with acute poisonings due to different chemicals, natural toxins or drug overdose.
  
  
  METHODS
  Following approval of the University medical research committee and obtaining informed consents from the patients or their relatives, all patients with acute poisonings who were treated between March 2009 and February 2010 in the Toxicologic Ward of Imam Reza Hospital and had serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) above 975 IU/L (as a definition for rhabdomyolysis) were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 3555 hospitalized poisoned patients, 114 patients had rhabdomyolysis with CPK of 5996 ± 892 IU/L (mean ± standard error). The most common intoxication to induce the rhabdomyolysis was opioid overdose (28%). Acute renal failure (ARF) was diagnosed in 11 (8.7%) patients. There was a linear correlation between CPK and creatinine (P < 0.001), which in turn had a significant correlation with death (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with acute poisoning were at risk of rhabdomyolysis. Acute opioid poisoning was the most common cause of toxic rhabdomyolysis in the intoxicated patients, and ARF was the main complication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Toxicology and Medical Toxicology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Reza
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Mousavi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Toxicology and Medical Toxicology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vahabzadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Toxicology and Medical Toxicology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Adeleh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahdizadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Toxicology and Medical Toxicology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mansooreh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vafaee
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Toxicology and Medical Toxicology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmood
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sadeghi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Toxicology and Medical Toxicology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Afshari
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Toxicology and Medical Toxicology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balali-Mood
keywords: Acute poisoning; acute renal failure; creatine kinase; creatinine; intoxication; rhabdomyolysis