A Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess presenting with myasthenia and tea-colored urine

RATIONALE Rhabdomyolysis is a well-known syndrome in clinical practice, although rhabdomyolysis caused by a liver abscess is rarely reported and the patient may lack symptoms that are associated with a primary site of infection. Early recognition of this possibility is needed to avoid diagnostic delay and facilitate treatment. We report the case of a 71-year-old woman with a Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) pyogenic liver abscess who presented with myasthenia and tea-colored urine and also review the 77 reported cases of bacterial rhabdomyolysis. PATIENT CONCERNS The patient was 71 years old and presenting with a 7-day history of myasthenia and a 3-day history of tea-colored urine, but without fever or abdominal pain. DIAGNOSES Laboratory testing in our case revealed rhabdomyolysis, and blood culture revealed KP. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a hypoechoic enclosed mass, and computed tomography (CT) revealed an enclosed low-density mass (8.3 × 6.6 × 6.1 cm). The main diagnoses were a pyogenic liver abscess with rhabdomyolysis. INTERVENTIONS Empirically intravenous piperacillin-sulbactam and intravenous potassium treatment, as well as fluid infusions and other supportive treatments were provided after admission. After the diagnosis was confirmed and susceptibility test results were available, we adjusted the antibiotics to cefoperazone and sulbactam, which were maintained for 6 weeks. OUTCOMES The patient's symptoms relieved and the abnormal laboratory parameters corrected. Follow-up abdominal ultrasonography at 24 months after her discharge revealed that the abscess had disappeared. LESSONS Early recognition and careful consideration of the underlying cause of rhabdomyolysis are critical to improving the patient's prognosis. Thus, physicians should carefully consider the underlying cause in elderly patients who present with rhabdomyolysis, as they may lack symptoms of a primary infection.