[Rhabdomyolysis caused by simvastatinin a patient following heart transplantation and cyclosporine therapy]

Abstract

Hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors are cholesterol-lowering agents which may induce rhabdomyolysis. The authors present a case of rhabdomyolysis attributed to simvastatin in a heart-transplant recipient. They stress the probability of a dose-dependent muscular toxicity and the risk of overdosage in patients already under treatment with drugs that interfere with the pharmacokinetics of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, notably ciclosporine.