Myasthenia due to carnitine treatment.
Severe weakness of lower cranial and girdle muscles has been found in 4 subjects among 20 dialysis patients treated with carnitine in order to correct their high plasma triglyceride level. Neurophysiological investigation showed an impairment of neuromuscular transmission with short-term reduction of evoked muscle responses to repetitive stimulation and the presence of "post-activation exhaustion phenomenon" 3 min after the train. Both the weakness and the neurophysiological findings were less pronounced after edrophonium. These findings suggest a hemicholinium activity of carnitine at synaptic level.
D000328:Adult; D002331:Carnitine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004491:Edrophonium; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009431:Neural Conduction; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000503:physiopathology; D006435:Renal Dialysis
D004491:Edrophonium; D002331:Carnitine