Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
2007 JASN IMPACT FACTOR 7.111 HOME   AUTHOR INFO   EDITORIAL BOARD   SUBSCRIBE   FEEDBACK   ALERTS   HELP 
    advanced
CURRENT ISSUE ARCHIVES JASN Express ONLINE SUBMISSION


This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hurot, J.-M.
Right arrow Articles by Fouque, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hurot, J.-M.
Right arrow Articles by Fouque, D.
J Am Soc Nephrol 13:708-714, 2002
© 2002 American Society of Nephrology

Effects of L-Carnitine Supplementation in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients: A Systematic Review

Jean-Marc Hurot*{dagger}, Michel Cucherat{dagger}, Margaret Haugh{dagger} and Denis Fouque*{dagger}

*Department of Nephrology, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France; and {dagger}Centre Cochrane Français, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France.

Correspondence to: Dr. Denis Fouque, Department of Nephrology, Hôpital E.Herriot, 69437 Lyon Cedex 03, France. Phone: +33-4-72-11-02-02; Fax: +33-4-72-11-02-03; E-mail: denis.fouque{at}chu-lyon.fr

ABSTRACT. There are many causes for carnitine depletion during maintenance hemodialysis. Supplementation with L-carnitine in animals has been associated with improvement in some abnormalities also present in chronic renal failure. However, it is still controversial whether restoring plasma or tissue carnitine will correct clinical or biologic symptoms observed in maintenance hemodialysis. A systematic review is here performed to determine the effects of L-carnitine in maintenance hemodialysis patients. Eighty-three prospective trials were identified from 1978 to 1999 in which L-carnitine was randomly allocated in 21 trials. Change in serum triglycerides, cholesterol fractions, hemoglobin levels, erythropoietin dose, and other symptoms (muscle function, exercise capacity, and quality of life) were examined. A total of 482 patients in 18 trials were considered for analysis. There was no effect of L-carnitine on triglycerides, total cholesterol, or any of its fractions. Before the erythropoietin (EPO) era, L-carnitine treatment was associated with improved hemoglobin (P < 0.01) and with a decreased EPO dose (P < 0.01) and improved resistance to EPO when patients routinely received EPO. Muscle function, exercise capacity, and quality of life could not be reliably assessed because of the noncombinable nature of end points and the limited number of trials. In conclusion, L-carnitine cannot be recommended for treating the dyslipidemia of maintenance hemodialysis patients. By contrast, this review suggests a promising effect of L-carnitine on anemia management. The route of L-carnitine administration should be evaluated because there is no evidence as to the most efficient method of administration in maintenance hemodialysis.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Nephrol Dial TransplantHome page
S. E. Reuter, R. J. Faull, E. Ranieri, and A. M. Evans
Endogenous plasma carnitine pool composition and response to erythropoietin treatment in chronic haemodialysis patients
Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., November 5, 2008; (2008) gfn588v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Nephrol Dial TransplantHome page
L. A Calo, P. A Davis, E. Pagnin, L. Bertipaglia, A. Naso, A. Piccoli, R. Corradini, M. Spinello, V. Savica, and L. D. Libera
Carnitine-mediated improved response to erythropoietin involves induction of haem oxygenase-1: studies in humans and in an animal model
Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., March 1, 2008; 23(3): 890 - 895.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Nephrol Dial TransplantHome page
B. R. Di Iorio, P. Guastaferro, N. Cillo, E. Cucciniello, and V. Bellizzi
Effect of L-carnitine administration on erythropoietin use in thalassemic minor haemodialysis patients
Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., March 1, 2007; 22(3): 954 - 955.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Nephrol Dial TransplantHome page
A. Arduini, M. Bonomini, E. J. Clutterbuck, M. A. Laffan, and C. D. Pusey
Effect of L-carnitine administration on erythrocyte survival in haemodialysis patients
Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., September 1, 2006; 21(9): 2671 - 2672.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Nephrol Dial TransplantHome page
L. Vernez, M. Dickenmann, J. Steiger, M. Wenk, and S. Krahenbuhl
Effect of L-carnitine on the kinetics of carnitine, acylcarnitines and butyrobetaine in long-term haemodialysis
Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., February 1, 2006; 21(2): 450 - 458.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Nephrol Dial TransplantHome page
L. A. Calo, P. A. Davis, A. Semplicini, and A. C. Pessina
L-Carnitine and erythropoiesis: relationship with haeme oxygenase-1
Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., August 1, 2005; 20(8): 1769 - 1770.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Nutr Clin PractHome page
B. Schreiber
Levocarnitine and Dialysis: A Review
Nutr Clin Pract, April 1, 2005; 20(2): 218 - 243.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Lipid Res.Home page
Y. Tanaka, R. Sasaki, F. Fukui, H. Waki, T. Kawabata, M. Okazaki, K. Hasegawa, and S. Ando
Acetyl-L-carnitine supplementation restores decreased tissue carnitine levels and impaired lipid metabolism in aged rats
J. Lipid Res., April 1, 2004; 45(4): 729 - 735.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME CURRENT ISSUE ARCHIVES JASN Express ONLINE SUBMISSION AUTHOR INFO
EDITORIAL BOARD SUBSCRIBE FEEDBACK ALERTS HELP

Copyright © 2008 by the American Society of Nephrology. Online ISSN: 1533-3450 Print ISSN: 1046-6673