title: Inflammation and L-carnitine therapy in hemodialysis patients: a review.
abstract: Inflammation is a common complication in hemodialysis (HD) patients with no valid treatment strategy. In addition, carnitine deficiency occurs frequently in HD patients because of intradialytic loss of carnitine, impaired de novo carnitine renal synthesis, and reduced dietary intake. It appears that carnitine deficiency is related to inflammation in HD patients. A few clinical trials have investigated the effect of L-carnitine supplement on inflammatory markers in HD patients. All studies in this field, except one, showed that L-carnitine could significantly reduce C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A, as two systemic inflammation markers, in HD patients. Therefore, considering high prevalence of inflammation and carnitine deficiency in HD patients, L-carnitine therapy is a reasonable approach for reducing systemic inflammation and its complications in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan, Malaysia. saman_kh84@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Saman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khalatbari-Soltani
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, 46, West Arghavan St., Farahzadi Blvd., Shahrak Qods, P.O. Box 19395-4741, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. hadtabibi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Hadi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tabibi
mesh_terms: D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D002331:Carnitine / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000685:Serum Amyloid A Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000685:Serum Amyloid A Protein; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D002331:Carnitine
keywords: Hemodialysis; Inflammation; L-Carnitine