What Causes Rhabdomyolysis?
Rhabdomyolysis is always triggered by muscle injury. That injury can be caused by physical means (crushed by weight, starved by blocked blood vessel) or by chemical means (toxins, heat, or drugs).
The breakdown products when muscle is damaged include a protein called myoglobin. Myoglobin is related to hemoglobin. Both are proteins in the body. Hemoglobin transports oxygen in the blood; myoglobin stores oxygen in muscles. When myoglobin is released into the blood after muscle injury, it is filtered out of the body by the kidneys. Since myoglobin is toxic to the small tubules of the kidneys, high levels of this protein can damage the kidneys and may result in acute renal failure.
Many things can trigger rhabdomyolysis. Anything that damages the muscles can cause this condition.