[Significance of serum carnitine in patients with liver diseases].
OBJECTIVE
To determine serum carnitine levels in patients with liver diseases and to investigate their significance.


METHODS
25 patients with acute viral hepatitis, 34 with chronic viral hepatitis, 22 with post hepatitis cirrhosis with normal renal function, 9 with post hepatitis cirrhosis but with renal disfunction, and 40 healthy subjects (serving as controls) were enrolled in this study. An enzymatic cycling method was used to determine the serum free carnitine levels.


RESULTS
The serum free carnitine level was (48.3+/-10.2)micromol/L in the healthy control group. It was (35.2+/-13.2)micromol/L in the acute viral hepatitis group, (36.5+/-9.9)micromol/L in the chronic viral hepatitis group, (45.0+/-11.0)micromol/L in the post hepatitis cirrhosis with normal renal function group, and (83.6+/-50.4)micromol/L in the post hepatitis cirrhosis with renal dysfunction group. Serum free carnitine levels in the acute viral hepatitis and chronic viral hepatitis groups were significantly lower than those in the healthy controls. There were no significant differences in serum free carnitine levels of the post hepatitis cirrhosis group and the normal control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with liver diseases can have carnitine metabolism errors. One of the secondary carnitine lack causes is liver disease.
Lin
Xiao-hong
XH
Department of Infectious Diseases, First Hospital of Beijing University, Beijing 100034, China. liujin@vip.sina.com
Jiao
Li-li
LL
Xu
Guo-bin
GB
Tian
Geng-shan
GS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002331:Carnitine / Q000097:blood*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D002331:Carnitine