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Case Reports
. 2021 Apr 19;13(4):e14559.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.14559.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Masquerading as Myopathy and Rhabdomyolysis

Kushal Ranabhat  1 , Smit Deliwala  1 , MurtazaShabbir Hussain  1 , Tarek Haykal  2 , Ghassan Bachuwa  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Masquerading as Myopathy and Rhabdomyolysis

Kushal Ranabhat et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) characteristically presents as a mononucleosis-like prodrome; rhabdomyolysis as a sole manifestation remains a rare finding from infection to seroconversion. A young male with a vague sexual history presented with myopathy progressing rapidly to rhabdomyolysis and renal failure. Acute HIV rarely presents with classic features, and rhabdomyolysis seems to manifest more in younger patients. Our case also demonstrates the importance of keeping a strong suspicion for HIV in the right setting despite false-negative results in the pre-seroconversion phase. The variability in HIV presentation and stigma of sexual history taking represents a diagnostic challenge. The astute clinician must be privy to these peculiarities to formulate a prompt diagnosis.

Keywords: aids; creatinine kinase; hiv; myopathy; rhabdomyolysis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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