Abstract
The objective. was to investigate L-Carnitine level and the effects of its supplementation in children with moderate persistent Asthma. Methods. Free and total serum carnitine levels were measured in 50 children having moderate persistent asthma and 50 healthy control children. The patients group was randomly divided into two subgroups. Subgroup A was supplemented with L-carnitine for 6 months while subgroup B was used as a placebo controls. Both subgroups were assessed by pulmonary function tests (PFT) and childhood-asthma control test (C-ACT) before and 6 months after carnitine supplementation. Results. Total and free carnitine levels were significantly lower in patient group than in control group. PFT and C-ACT showed significant improvements in asthmatic children supplemented with L-carnitine than in those who were not supplemented. Conclusion. L-carnitine levels were initially lower in moderate persistent asthmatic children as compared to healthy control children. Asthmatic children who received L-carnitine supplementation showed statistically significant improvement of C-ACT and PFT.
Highlights
Asthma is a common complex chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, airflow obstruction, bronchial hyper responsiveness, and an underlying inflammation
This paper investigated the differences in serum L-Carnitine levels Journal of Allergy in pediatric asthmatic patients as compared to healthy control children
Since LCarnitine has an essential role in the transport of long-chain fatty acids through the mitochondrial membrane in order to ensure efficient β-oxidation of fatty acids, it is important for activation of pulmonary surfactant synthesis [12]
Summary
Asthma is a common complex chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, airflow obstruction, bronchial hyper responsiveness, and an underlying inflammation. It is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood, affecting more than 6 million children and more than 22 million persons in the United States [1]. As pharmacologic therapy may have variable results in these asthmatic children, the search for metabolic or nutritional deficiencies contributing to the disease has continued. In instances where metabolic or nutritional deficiencies are a contributing factor to ongoing inflammatory processes in the bronchial tree, dietary supplementation of these deficiencies may provide benefit [5]
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