Comparison of the Therapeutic Effect of Erythropoietin Alone and with the Combination of L-Carnitine on Hemoglobin Levels in Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract

Objective: L-carnitine deficiency causes various pathological conditions such as muscle weakness and erythropoietin-resistant anemia in hemodialysis patients. The present study was conducted to compare the therapeutic effect of erythropoietin alone and with the combination of L-carnitine on anemia in hemodialysis patients.

Materials and methods: In this clinical trial study, 24 hemodialysis patients were admitted to the dialysis department of Imam Ali Hospital in 2019. Eligible patients were divided into two equal groups of treatment with erythropoietin alone and the combination of L-carnitine and erythropoietin. A complete blood count (CBC) sample was taken from the patients and the hemoglobin level was measured before and after the treatment.

Results: The mean age of the patients in the erythropoietin treatment group and erythropoietin and L-carnitine combination treatment group was 18.66 ± 3.70 and 23.83 ± 5.70 years, respectively, and a significant difference was observed between the two groups (P=0.015). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the amount of hemoglobin before the treatment (P=0.327). The mean hemoglobin of hemodialysis patients after treatment, in the group treated with erythropoietin and the group receiving erythropoietin with L-carnitine, were 9.8±1.6 and 10.6±3.9 g/dL, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of hemoglobulin (P=0.324).

Conclusion: Our results showed that receiving erythropoietin alone and erythropoietin together with L-carnitine did not have a significant effect in improving blood parameters in patients with anemia undergoing hemodialysis.