A Changhua man became drunk and oppressed his muscles after drinking. His CPK soared to 67 to 100 times the normal value. He saved his life after 10 rounds of dialysis.

2026/09/24 09:56

Liu Wenzhi, deputy director and nephrologist of Rongcheng Hospital, used a stethoscope to examine the patient's chest to assess whether the heart and lungs had complications such as pulmonary edema caused by kidney disease. (Provided by Yuanrong Hospital)

[Reporter Yan Hongjun/Changhua Report] A man in his 50s from Changhua recently returned home drunk from a party with friends and fell to the ground. Maintaining the same posture for a long time caused severe compression of the muscles of his limbs. After being sent to the hospital for emergency treatment, it was found that the level of creatine kinase (CPK), which represents muscle damage, was as high as 20,000 to 30,000 U/L (the upper limit of the normal value is about 300 U/L). The muscle cells were severely damaged. After 10 times of hemodialysis treatment, he survived.

Liu Wenzhi, deputy director and nephrologist of Yuanrong Hospital, said that when the patient arrived at the hospital, his creatine kinase (CPK) level was as high as 20,000 to 30,000 U/L, far exceeding the upper limit of normal by about 300 U/L. Clinically, a creatine kinase level exceeding 5 times the upper limit of normal, or about 1,000 U/L, is usually used as an important basis for judging rhabdomyolysis. The value in this case is equivalent to 67 times to 100 times the upper limit of normal, indicating that a large amount of muscle has been damaged in the body.

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Liu Wenzhi explained that rhabdomyolysis is when muscle cells are massively damaged and disintegrated, and a large amount of intracellular myoglobin (Myoglobin), creatine kinase and electrolytes, especially potassium ions, are released into the blood. When a large amount of myoglobin enters the blood and is excreted through the kidneys, it may be toxic to the renal tubules and cause cast formation and obstruction in the renal tubules, thereby causing acute kidney injury and, in severe cases, acute renal failure.

Liu Wenzhi said that the patient initially received hemodialysis three times a week due to severely damaged kidney function. The medical team continued to observe changes in his urine output and kidney function. As the muscle damage stopped and kidney function gradually recovered, the urine output began to increase, and the dialysis frequency was gradually reduced to twice a week, once a week, and finally once every 10 days. After nearly 2 months of treatment, the patient's renal function gradually recovered and he finally successfully stopped hemodialysis.

Liu Wenzhi pointed out that common causes of rhabdomyolysis include workers who work in high-temperature environments in summer without proper hydration, overtrained track and field athletes or military drills, or certain cholesterol-lowering drugs, with an incidence rate of about one in a thousand. In addition, strong electric shock, persistent high fever, epileptic seizures, and prolonged postural compression may also increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis.

☆Excessive drinking is harmful to health. Drunk driving is prohibited☆