Ahmadi 2016.

Study characteristics
Methods	Study characteristics Study design: parallel RCT Study duration: September 2013 to June 2014 Study follow‐up: 12 weeks
Participants	Baseline characteristics Country: Iran Setting: multicentre (3 sites) Inclusion criteria: > 20 years; HD for at least 1 year Randomised number (intervention/control): 25/25 Dialysis modality: HD Mean age ± SD (years): intervention group (64.4 ± 12.9); control group (62.1 ± 10.2) Sex (M/F): not reported Mean dialysis duration ± SD (years): intervention group (3.47 ± 2.35); control group (3.35 ± 1.9) Exclusion criteria: infectious, liver, thyroid, or cancer disease; receiving L‐carnitine at least 8 weeks prior to the start of the study; on corticosteroids
Interventions	Intervention group L‐carnitine (oral): 1000 mg/day for 12 weeks Control group Standard care
Outcomes	Outcomes relevant to this review Muscle weakness Death (any cause)
Notes	Funding source: Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	Quote: "They were divided by random allocation using random numbers table into 2 the carnitine group and the control group."
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)	High risk	Open‐label study
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Death	Low risk	The outcome measurement is not likely to be influenced by lack of blinding
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) Death	Low risk	All patient outcome data reported
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	All expected outcomes were reported
Other bias	Low risk	Quote. "This study was supported by the Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences"