Drug-Induced Rhabdomyolysis with Elevated Cardiac Troponin T

Abstract

The essential role of cardiac troponin in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction has led to the development of high-sensitivity assays, which are able to detect very small amounts of myocardial necrosis. The high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T assay, however, is not entirely specific for myocardial injury. This case report describes a 48-year-old woman, who, two years after cardiac transplantation, presented with rhabdomyolysis. During the course of the disease, her troponin T level was elevated on repeated occasions, but other definitive evidence of myocardial injury was not found. Asymptomatic cardiac troponin T elevations during rhabdomyolysis may be due to either cardiac involvement or false positive results stemming from skeletal muscle injury.