caa a22 4500 463255321 CHVBK 20180405153353.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170326e20070101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s00277-006-0181-6 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s00277-006-0181-6 Effect of L -carnitine on the physical fitness of thalassemic patients [Elektronische Daten] [Amal El-Beshlawy, Ramzi El Accaoui, Mansour Abd El-Sattar, Mohamed Gamal El-Deen, Ilham Youssry, Naglaa Shaheen, Mona Hamdy, Mona El-Ghamrawy, Ali Taher] Poor physical fitness is a common problem among thalassemic patients. l-Carnitine plays an essential role in fatty acid β-oxidation, a process especially important in the organs that preferentially use fatty acid as a source of energy such as the myocardium and the skeletal muscles. The main objective of this study is to assess the effect of the administration of oral l-carnitine on exercise tolerance and physical fitness in patients with thalassemia major. Thirty patients followed up at the New Cairo University Children Hospital were included in this study. Clinical, laboratory, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing were performed before and after 6months of oral l-carnitine therapy (50mg/kg/day). The oxygen consumption, cardiac output, and oxygen pulse at maximal exercise significantly increased after l-carnitine therapy (p<0.001, p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively). However, there was no significant change in minute ventilation and ventilatory equivalent of carbon dioxide (p=0.07 and p=0.06, respectively). A weak but positive correlation between the age of the patients and the degree of improvement in exercise parameters was noted. There was also significant increase in the blood transfusion intervals after l-carnitine administration (p=0.008). However, there was no significant change in hemoglobin concentration (p=0.4). l-Carnitine seems to be a safe and effective adjunctive therapeutic approach in thalassemic patients. It improves their cardiac performance and physical fitness. The younger the patients are, the higher is the degree of improvement in their exercise parameters. Springer-Verlag, 2006 l -Carnitine nationallicence Thalassemia nationallicence Physical fitness nationallicence El-Beshlawy Amal Department of Pediatrics, New Children Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt aut El Accaoui Ramzi Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon aut Abd El-Sattar Mansour Department of Pediatrics, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt aut Gamal El-Deen Mohamed Department of Physiology, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt aut Youssry Ilham Department of Pediatrics, New Children Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt aut Shaheen Naglaa Department of Pediatrics, New Children Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt aut Hamdy Mona Department of Pediatrics, New Children Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt aut El-Ghamrawy Mona Department of Pediatrics, New Children Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt aut Taher Ali Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon aut Annals of Hematology Springer-Verlag 86/1(2007-01-01), 31-34 0939-5555 86:1<31 2007 86 277 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-006-0181-6 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-006-0181-6 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- El-Beshlawy Amal Department of Pediatrics, New Children Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- El Accaoui Ramzi Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Abd El-Sattar Mansour Department of Pediatrics, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Gamal El-Deen Mohamed Department of Physiology, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Youssry Ilham Department of Pediatrics, New Children Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Shaheen Naglaa Department of Pediatrics, New Children Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Hamdy Mona Department of Pediatrics, New Children Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- El-Ghamrawy Mona Department of Pediatrics, New Children Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Taher Ali Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Annals of Hematology Springer-Verlag 86/1(2007-01-01), 31-34 0939-5555 86:1<31 2007 86 277 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer