Table 1.
Baseline demographic and clinical variables.
| l-carnitine Group (n = 88) | Control Group (n = 88) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male/female | 63/25 | 65/23 | NS |
| Age (years) | 67 ± 11 | 68 ± 10 | NS |
| Duration of dialysis (months) | 54 ± 50 | 52 ± 50 | NS |
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 54.5 | 52.3 | NS |
| Smoker (%) | 15.9 | 13.6 | NS |
| Medication | |||
| Antihypertensive agents (%) | 75 | 77.2 | NS |
| Statins (%) | 35.2 | 37.5 | NS |
| Kt/V | 1.32 ± 0.16 | 1.32 ± 0.17 | NS |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 11.0 ± 0.9 | 11.1 ± 1.0 | NS |
| BUN (mg/dL) | 56.3 ± 13.6 | 57.7 ± 10.7 | NS |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 9.57 ± 2.93 | 9.21 ± 2.20 | NS |
| Uric acid (mg/dL) | 6.9 ± 1.1 | 6.7 ± 0.8 | NS |
| Sodium (mEq/L) | 142 ± 4 | 142 ± 2 | NS |
| Potassium (mEq/L) | 4.8 ± 0.7 | 4.9 ± 0.5 | NS |
| Corrected Ca (mg/dL) | 9.1 ± 0.6 | 9.0 ± 0.6 | NS |
| Phosphate (mg/dL) | 5.0 ± 1.0 | 5.0 ± 1.4 | NS |
| Total protein (g/dL) | 6.8 ± 0.5 | 6.7 ± 0.6 | NS |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 3.8 ± 0.4 | 3.7 ± 0.5 | NS |
| Intact PTH (pg/mL) | 158 ± 120 | 164 ± 116 | NS |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 158 ± 35 | 161 ± 29 | NS |
| LDL cholesterol (mg/dL) | 88 ± 26 | 90 ± 25 | NS |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 126 ± 67 | 115 ± 65 | NS |
| Hs-CRP (mg/dL) | 0.45 ± 0.86 | 0.56 ± 0.81 | NS |
| β2-microglobulin (mg/L) | 23.8 ± 6.2 | 24.2 ± 8.3 | NS |
| Ferritin (ng/mL) | 119 ± 116 | 112 ± 130 | NS |
| TSAT (%) | 34.5 ± 13.4 | 33.0 ± 9.8 | NS |
| Total carnitine (μmol/L) | 41.1 ± 10.8 | 38.1 ± 8.3 | NS |
| Free carnitine (μmol/L) | 26.7 ± 7.6 | 23.9 ± 6.3 | NS |
| Acyl carnitine (μmol/L) | 14.9 ± 4.8 | 14.3 ± 3.6 | NS |
| Acyl/free carnitine | 0.59 ± 0.25 | 0.62 ± 0.16 | NS |
BUN, blood urea nitrogen; Ca, calcium; Hs-CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein, PTH, parathyroid hormone; TSAT, transferrin saturation; NS, not significant.