Rabdomyolyse bij de combinatie statine + macrolide

Statins are frequently used as lipid-lowering drugs. Their pleiotropy also makes them beneficial for patients who develop sepsis. As a consequence, intensivists are inclined to continue statin therapy in patients with sepsis. We describe two intensive care patients who developed rhabdomyoiysis during combined treatment with simvastatin and erythromycin. Erythromycin, as an inhibitor of cytochrome P450, increases the risk of statin-related rhabdomyoiysis. The combination of macrolide antibiotics and statins should therefore be avoided in intensive care.