Tehran University of Medical Sciences Immunology and Genetics Journal 2645-4831 6 4 2023 12 22 121 125 Vahid Sheikhi Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran Aghil Miri Department of Pediatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran Majid Sartipi Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran Hosseinali Khazaei Medical Immunology and Clinical Immunology Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran. Elham Shahraki Department of Internal medicine, Nephrologist, Ali Ibne Abitaleb Hospital, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran Fatemeh Attaran Department of Internal medicine, Nephrologist, Ali Ibne Abitaleb Hospital, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran 2024 09 28 2024 10 01 Background: 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 Method: In this clinical trial, 24 patients undergoing hemodialysis at Imam Ali Hospital were selected for the study. The eligible participants were randomly assigned into two equal groups: one group received erythropoietin treatment alone, while the other group was treated with a combination of L-carnitine and erythropoietin. Blood samples were collected from all patients for a complete blood count (CBC), and their hemoglobin levels were measured both before and after the treatment. Results: The mean age of patients in the erythropoietin-only treatment group was 18.66±3.70 years, while in the group receiving both erythropoietin and L-carnitine, it was 23.83±5.70 years. A significant difference in age was found between the two groups (P=0.015). However, there was no significant difference in hemoglobin levels between the groups before treatment (P=0.327). After treatment, the mean hemoglobin levels in the erythropoietin group and the combination therapy group were 9.8±1.6 and 10.6±3.9 g/dL, respectively, with no significant difference observed between the two groups in terms of hemoglobin (P=0.324). Conclusion: Our findings indicated that treatment with erythropoietin alone, as well as in combination with L-carnitine, did not lead to a significant improvement in blood parameters in hemodialysis patients with anemia. https://igj.tums.ac.ir/index.php/igj/article/view/152 https://igj.tums.ac.ir/index.php/igj/article/download/152/130