title: L-carnitine Reduces Muscle Cramps in Patients With Cirrhosis.
abstract: We performed a prospective study to evaluate the ability of L-carnitine, which is involved in the β-oxidation of fatty acids, to reduce muscle cramps in patients with cirrhosis. Consecutive patients with cirrhosis and muscle cramps were given L-carnitine 300 mg, 3 times/day (900 mg/day, n = 19) or 4 times/day (1200 mg/day, n = 23) for 8 weeks. The frequency of muscle cramps was assessed by questionnaires, and the degree of muscle cramping was assessed by using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Muscle cramping was reduced in 88.1% of all subjects at the end of the 8-week study period and disappeared for 28.6% of patients. Overall VAS scores decreased significantly from 69.9 ± 22.5 at baseline to 26.2 ± 29.1 after 8 weeks (P < .0001). The dose of L-carnitine was significantly associated with percentages of patients with reduced muscle cramps after 8 weeks (43.5% in the 1200 mg/day group vs 10.5% in the 900 mg/day group, P = .037) and VAS scores at 8 weeks (9.9 ± 13.5 in the 1200 mg/day group vs 39.6 ± 31.9 in the 900 mg/day group, P = .003). No adverse events were reported. Therefore, L-carnitine appears to be safe and effective for reducing liver cramps in patients with cirrhosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurosaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Natsuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakakuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hitomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kouichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gondo
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuharu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tamaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yasui
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takanori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hosokawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Itakura
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: izumi012@musashino.jrc.or.jp.
authors.forename: Namiki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Izumi
mesh_terms: D002331:Carnitine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications*; D009120:Muscle Cramp / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002331:Carnitine
keywords: Clinical Trial; Fatty Acid; Lipid Metabolism; Liver Fibrosis