Effects of <i>L</i>-Carnitine Supplementation on Cardiac Morbidity in Hemodialyzed Patients

Abstract

Cardiac diseases are well known among patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD), and carnitine deficiency may be an important factor in cardiac morbidity. We studied the effects of low-dose L-carnitine treatment (500 mg/day) on chest symptoms (dyspnea on exertion, chest pain, palpitation), cardiac function, and left ventricular (LV) mass in 9 HD patients with reduced ejection fraction (EF). After 6 months of L-carnitine treatment, most patients had at least some improvement in chest symptoms, while LVEF was increased and LV mass was decreased. Carnitine fractions increased and reached plateaus at 2-3 times the baseline levels. These results suggest that prolonged low-dose L-carnitine treatment can improve the cardiac morbidity by restoring decreased carnitine tissue levels and impaired oxidation of FFA.