COLCHICINE INDUCED ACUTE MYOPATHY IN A HEMODIALYZED PATIENT

In the last few years several reports emphasized the myotoxic effects oi colchicine. Chronic renal failure patients seem to be more prone to colchicine induced neuromuscular toxicity. We report a case of a 47 year old women on maintenance hemodialysis who had been laking colchicine continuosly for hepatic peliosis and fibrosis. The colchicine dose was raised to 1 mg per day and three weeks later she developed a toxic myopathy with generalized myalgia, proximal muscle weakness and elevated serum levels of muscle enzymes. After drug withdrawal creatine kinase returned to normal levels and the clinical symptoms resolved completely. The clinical characteristic of colchicine induced myopathy are reviewed in this report.