Fitness freaks beware; Texas teen develops deadly illness after working out too much

High-intensity workout

A 17-year-old Texas teen has been admitted to the hospital after being diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a condition which occurs due to the breakdown of muscle tissue that releases a damaging protein to the blood. Experts believe that it occurred due to intense workouts carried out by the teen that pulled him to the clutches of this deadly disease.

The unfortunate case of Jared Shamburger

Jared Shamburger, the 17-year-old teen started working out a few days ago with his father and brother, who used to hit the gymnasium regularly. Suddenly, Shamburger started to develop extreme soreness and swelling in his body. Initially, he believed that it was the common soreness, which people usually faces after hitting the gymnasium all of a sudden. However, the medical condition did not seem to go away and it caused extreme pain.

As reported by kron4, Shamburger said, "It was super duper sore. Everything hurt. It hurt to the touch. It was swollen. The farthest I could move was like to here, and I was like this is not right."

Later, his mother searched his symptoms online and called a physician believing that her son has rhabdomyolysis. After the consultation, Shamburger was diagnosed with the same condition and was admitted to the hospital for five days. The teen is now slowly recovering from the disease.

Rhabdomyolysis: All you need to know

Skeletal muscle injury is the major cause of rhabdomyolysis. During times of such an injury, the injured muscle cells leak myoglobin into the bloodstream. It should be noted that myoglobin is toxic to the kidney and it will cause renal issues among the victims. The life-threatening complications of rhabdomyolysis include kidney failure, heart rhythm disturbances as a result of elevated potassium levels which may result in sudden cardiac arrest.

Some of the common symptoms of rhabdomyolysis are decreased urine output with dark red colour, muscle stiffness, extreme pain in the body, unintentional weight gain, weakness and fatigue.

How to prevent rhabdomyolysis?

Staying hydrated during intense physical exercises is one of the best ways by which people can prevent rhabdomyolysis. In times of possible heatstroke, it is advisable to remove extra clothing and immerse the body in cold water.

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