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. 2021 Sep 1;56(3):360-367.
doi: 10.1097/SHK.0000000000001725.

Rhabdomyolysis is Associated with In-Hospital Mortality in Patients with COVID-19

Yan Geng  1   2 , Qiang Ma  3 , Yong-Sheng Du  2 , Na Peng  4   5 , Ting Yang  2 , Shi-Yu Zhang  6 , Feng-Fu Wu  7 , Hua-Liang Lin  6 , Lei Su  8
Affiliations

Rhabdomyolysis is Associated with In-Hospital Mortality in Patients with COVID-19

Yan Geng et al. Shock. .

Abstract

Purpose: Rhabdomyolysis (RM) has been associated with many viral infectious diseases, and associated with poor outcomes. We aim to evaluate the clinical features and outcomes of RM in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Method: This was a single-center, retrospective, cohort study of 1,014 consecutive hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 at the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, China, between February 17 and April 12, 2020.

Results: The overall incidence of RM was 2.2%. Compared with patients without RM, those with RM tended to have a higher risk of deterioration. Patients with RM also constituted a greater percentage of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (90.9% vs. 5.3%, P < 0.001) and a greater percentage of patients undergoing mechanical ventilation (86.4% vs. 2.7% P < 0.001). Moreover, patients with RM had laboratory test abnormalities, including the presence of markers of inflammation, activation of coagulation, and kidney injury. Patients with RM also had a higher risk of in-hospital death (P < 0.001). Cox's proportional hazard regression model analysis confirmed that RM indicators, including peak creatine kinase levels > 1,000 IU/L (HR = 6.46, 95% CI: 3.02-13.86) and peak serum myoglobin concentrations > 1,000 ng/mL (HR = 9.85, 95% CI: 5.04-19.28), were independent risk factors for in-hospital death. Additionally, patients with COVID-19 that developed RM tended to have delayed viral clearance.

Conclusion: RM might be an important contributing factor to adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients. The early detection and effective intervention of RM may help reduce mortality among COVID-19 patients.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The cumulative incidence of in-hospital deaths among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 subgrouped by skeletal muscle (SKM) injury indicators.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The association between rhabdomyolysis (RM) and in-hospital death in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were generated to determine the value of predicting death by age, sex, and comorbidity (A) and age, sex, comorbidity, and RM occurrence (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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