Abstract
L-carnitine was given to long-term dialysis patients with continuous hypotension, and its efficacy was investigated. Two groups were used, one consisting of 14 long-term dialysis patients who were administered L-carnitine 1, 200mg/day for 12 weeks, the other 14 serving as the control. Four weeks after beginning the L-carnitine treatment, the plasma L-carnitine concentration in the drug group was significantly higher than in the controls. There was no significant difference, however, in either weight or pulse rate throughout the course of treatment between the two groups. Neither was there any significant difference in plasma levels of triglycerides or fatty acids between them, but at 8 weeks following the initiation of L-carnitine treatment, the ketone bodies in the treated group were significantly higher than in the control group. From these results it was considered that the L-carnitine administration served to improve the energy metabolism and proved effective in the elevation of blood pressure in dialysis patients presenting with hypotension.
