An Interventional Study of Carnitine in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure

Background- Carnitine has a major role in utilization of fatty acids and glucose by the myocardium. Some patients with heart failure have carnitine deficiency. This study evaluates the effects of oral carnitine on heart failure. Methods- This prospective interventional study was conducted on 41 patients with heart failure on the basis of the Framingham classification. Before and after intervention with 500mg of carnitine in 2 divided doses for six months, the general condition and functional class were evaluated and end-diastolic, end-systolic diameters, ejection fraction, left atrial diameter and severity of mitral regurgitation were measured by color Doppler, M-mode, and 2-D echocardiography. These data in addition to sex, age and etiology of heart failure were analyzed using SPSS software with paired t- test and Wilcoxon-matched pair test. Results- The mean age of the patients under study was 60.2 پ} 15.3 years. Out of 41 patients, 27 subjects were males and 14 were female. The causes of heart failure were valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease and dilated cardiomyopathy in 10, 16 and 16 patients, respectively; and one patient had both valvular and coronary artery disease. Carnitine reduced end-diastolic, end-systolic and left atrial diameter, increased ejection fraction, improved function class and degree of mitral regurgitation. All the changes were statistically significant. Conclusion- The results show that 500mg oral daily carnitine for six months has favorable clinical effects on heart failure and improves cardiac echocardiographic parameters (Iranian Heart Journal 2006; 7 (3):9-15).