Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Effect of combined use of L-carnitine and hemodialysis on clinical efficacy and quality of life of uremic patients

Huanhuan Liu¹, Ren Zhang²

¹Department of Renal Endocrinology, Lujiang County People's Hospital, Hefei, Anhui, China; ²Department of Nephrology, Affiliated Dongfeng Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China.

For correspondence:- Ren Zhang Email: rendoyk731979@163.com

Accepted: 16 July 2022 Published: 29 August 2022

Citation: Liu H, Zhang R. Effect of combined use of L-carnitine and hemodialysis on clinical efficacy and quality of life of uremic patients. Trop J Pharm Res 2022; 21(8):1747-1753 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v21i8.23

© 2022 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the clinical efficacy of combined use of L-carnitine and hemodialysis in the treatment of uremic patients, and its effect on their quality of life.

Methods: A total of 160 uremic patients who were admitted to Lujiang County People's Hospital from November 2018 to August 2020 were selected and divided equally into dialysis group (hemodialysis), and combined group (L-carnitine + hemodialysis). Some clinical indices and parameters, including safety profile, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+, and plasma protein levels were evaluated for both study groups.

Results: Patients treated with L-carnitine + hemodialysis in the combined group resulted in significantly higher clinical treatment effectiveness than those in the dialysis group (p < 0.05). However, safety profiles were comparable in the two groups (p > 0.05). No significant difference in NIHSS score between the two groups before treatment, but L-carnitine + hemodialysis led to a better NIHSS score than in the dialysis group after treatment (p < 0.05). However, there were better levels of CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ in the combined group than in the dialysis group (p < 0.05). Similarly, although pre-treatment plasma protein levels in the two groups were comparable, there were significantly lower plasma protein levels in the combined group than in the dialysis group post-treatment (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The combination of L-carnitine and hemodialysis in the treatment of uremia patients improves the clinical management of the patients, enhances their quality of life, and shows good safety profile. However, further clinical trials should be carried out prior to the application of the combined treatment in clinical practice.

Keywords: L-carnitine, Hemodialysis, Uremia, Quality of life, Clinical efficacy