Acute-onset rhabdomyolysis secondary to sitagliptin and atorvastatin interaction

Abstract

Rhabdomyolysis is a serious medical condition in which the skeletal muscle tissue gets damaged and breaks down at rapid rates, potentially leading to death if not managed early on. Rhabdomyolysis in adults has several etiologies such as crush injuries, prolonged immobilization, strenuous exercise, hormonal or metabolic causes, infections, and drug–drug interactions. We present a case report of the interaction of two drugs that are used commonly in the general population. We here discuss a case of a 60-year-old female who presented to the hospital with complaints of generalized weakness, muscle aches, and atypical chest pain for a week after her primary care physician started her on sitagliptin while she was already on atorvastatin. After review of literature, this is the second known case of such an interaction causing acute breakdown of skeletal musculature.

Keywords:

• rhabdomyolysis
• drug interaction
• statin–sitagliptin interaction

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work. The authors have not received funding from any organization.