Myoglobinuric renal failure due to long-standing lovastatin therapy in a patient with pre-existing chronic renal insufficiency

Atraumatic rhabdomyolysis with consecutive acute myoglobinuric renal failure due to lipid-lowering drugs is a rare complication. In earlier years fibrateassociated rhabdomyolysis was observed more commonly in patients with renal insufficiency [1]. There are relatively rare case reports concerning rhabdomyolysis and renal damage due to therapy with HMGCoA reductase inhibitors; in most of the cases, however, patients had had renal insufficiency or had received other nephrotoxic drugs [2]. We describe a case of lovastatin-induced myoglobinuric renal failure after 4 years of lovastatin therapy in a patient with pre-existing renal insufficiency.