Myotoxicity

Rhabdomyolysis occurs with envenoming by some Australian snakes and is characterised by:

• muscle pain, tenderness and weakness
• rapidly rising serum creatine kinase concentration—often more than 1000 units/L up to hundreds of thousands of units/L
• myoglobinuria.

Secondary kidney injury can occur, but is extremely rare.

Antivenom may prevent myotoxicity, but cannot reverse it once it has developed.