Serum-free carnitine levels in children with heart failure.

Abstract

The serum-free carnitine (SFC) levels of 91 children with heart failure (HF) and of a control group consisting of 30 healthy children were measured. Twenty-four of 91 children with HF were administered oral L-carnitine. The mean SFC level of children with HF (20.16 +/- 0.30 nmol/l) was significantly lower than that of the control group (38.98 +/- 0.79 nmol/ml) (p < 0.01). Mean SFC levels of 24 patients, after L-carnitine administration, increased significantly (p < 0.01). Patients administered L-carnitine displayed a marked difference in time taken for clinical improvement compared with those not given oral L-carnitine.