A 30-year-old male soldier with sickle cell trait developed fatal exertional rhabdomyolysis that initially presented as mild heat illness without fever, highlighting the risk of exercise-related death.
Case Report (n=1)
Exertional rhabdomyolysis can present with mild symptoms and without fever, requiring high clinical suspicion, especially in individuals with sickle cell trait.
A 30-year-old black male soldier with sickle cell trait presented with fatal exertional rhabdomyolysis (which was unrecognized during 14 hours at a field clinic). After prompt treatment for heat exhaustion, his symptoms seemed mild and he was afebrile. His clinical course illustrates the potential for severe illness in the absence of fever, the importance of assessing mental dysfunction, indications for laboratory evaluation, the need for comprehensive management of severe dehydration and acidosis, common laboratory features of acute renal failure and exertional rhabdomyolysis, and the increased risk of exercise-related death in those with sickle cell trait.
Gardner et al. (Tue,) conducted a case report in Exertional rhabdomyolysis and heat illness (n=1). A 30-year-old male soldier with sickle cell trait developed fatal exertional rhabdomyolysis that initially presented as mild heat illness without fever, highlighting the risk of exercise-related death.
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