SERUM TOTAL, FREE AND ACYL CARNITINE CONCENTRATIONS IN CHRONIC GLOMERULONEPHRITIS PATIENTS

We investigated serum total carnitine (TC), free carnitine (FC) and ac yl-carnitine (AC) levels in 44 healthy subjects (23 males and 21 femal es) and 36 patients (24 males and 12 females) with different glomerulo nephritides which had progressed to the end-stage renal failure, and w ho were undergoing regular haemodialysis. Patients displayed significa ntly lower serum carnitine levels, The mean pre-dialysis serum TC, FC, and AC levels were not significantly different from the means of heal thy control serum TC, FC and AC (p < 0.1). However, after haemodialysi s, a significant decrease in serum carnitine levels was observed as co mpared to the values in both pre-dialysis patients and healthy control s (p < 0.001). Serum TC, FC and AC levels in male healthy controls and male patients (or female health controls and female patients) showed no significant difference as compared with male pre-dialysis patients (or female pre-dialysis patients) (p < 0.01). However, after haemodial ysis, serum TC, FC and AC levels of both genders were significantly lo wer than predialysis values (p < 0.001, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respe ctively). After haemodialysis, the ratio of serum AC to FC was signifi cantly higher as compared with both healthy controls and pre-dialysis patients (p < 0.001, and p < 0.01, respectively). Comparatively, the r atio of serum AC to FC was significantly higher after haemodialysis as compared with both male healthy controls) and (or female pre-dialysis patients) (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively).