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Postgraduate Medical Journal 2001;77:191-192; doi:10.1136/pmj.77.905.191
© 2001 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine.
Postgrad Med J 2001;77:191-192 ( March )

Adverse drug reaction of the month

Colchicine induced rhabdomyolysis I Chattopadhyaya, H G M Shettyb, P A Routledgec, J Jefferyd

a Department of Geriatric Medicine, Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital, Bangor, UK, b Department of Integrated Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff CF4 4XW, UK, c Therapeutics and Toxicology Group, University Hospital of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, UK, d Department of Medical Biochemistry, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK

Correspondence to: Dr Shetty HLSHETTY{at}aol.com

Submitted 19 April 2000; Accepted 4 July 2000

A case of colchicine induced rhabdomyolysis is reported. A 73 year old man with ischaemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, chronic congestive cardiac failure, and chronic gout presented with diffuse muscle pain. He had been taking an increased dose of colchicine (1.5 mg daily) for an exacerbation of gout for six weeks before the presentation. Investigations confirmed the diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis and discontinuation of colchicine resulted in resolution of clinical and biochemical features of rhabdomyolysis. Although neuromuscular adverse effects of colchicine are well recognised, rhabdomyolysis is rare and this is only the fourth reported case of colchicine induced rhabdomyolysis in the literature.


Key points

  • Colchicine may cause myoneuropathy, myotonia and, rarely, rhabdomyolysis.
  • Colchicine induced myotoxicity may occur in presence of normal renal function.
  • Cautious dosing of colchicine is important especially in presence of renal impairment.
  • Any patient on colchicine should be monitored for neuromuscular adverse effects.




Keywords: colchicine; rhabdomyolysis; gout

© 2001 by The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine
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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • van Heyningen, C, Watson, I D (2005). Troponin for prediction of cardiovascular collapse in acute colchicine overdose. Emerg. Med. J. 22: 599-600 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Atasoyu, E. M., Evrenkaya, T R., Solmazgul, E. (2005). Possible colchicine rhabdomyolysis in a fluvastatin-treated patient. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy 39: 1368-1369 [Full Text]  
  • Soto, O., Hedley-Whyte, E. T. (2003). Case 33-2003 - A 37-Year-Old Man with a History of Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Sudden Onset of Leg Weakness. NEJM 349: 1656-1663 [Full Text]  

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