Acetyl-l-Carnitine Decreases Fatigue & Increases Quality of Life in Patients w Hep C Tx w Pegylated Interferon 2b + Ribavirin

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Thu, 10/06/2011 - 18:35
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Acetyl-l-Carnitine Decreases Fatigue & Increases Quality of Life in Patients w Hep C Tx w Pegylated Interferon 2b + Ribavirin

 

Malaguarnera M, Vacante M, Bertino G, et al. The Supplementation of Acetyl-l-Carnitine Decreases Fatigue and Increases Quality of Life in Patients with Hepatitis C Treated with Pegylated Interferon-alpha 2b Plus Ribavirin. J Interferon Cytokine Res 2011 Sep;31(9):653-659.
PMID: 21923249
doi:10.1089/jir.2011.0010
 
 
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J Interferon Cytokine Res. 2011 Sep;31(9):653-9.

The Supplementation of Acetyl-l-Carnitine Decreases Fatigue and Increases Quality of Life in Patients with Hepatitis C Treated with Pegylated Interferon-alpha 2b Plus Ribavirin.
Malaguarnera M, Vacante M, Bertino G, Neri S, Malaguarnera M, Gargante MP, Motta M, Lupo L, Chisari G, Bruno CM, Pennisi G, Bella R.
Source
1 Research Center "The Great Senescence," University of Catania , Catania, Italy .

Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether supplementation of acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC) to pegylated-interferon-alpha 2b (Peg-IFN-? 2b) and ribavirin (RBV) improves the health-related quality of life during the treatment for chronic hepatitis C, thereby decreasing the risk of treatment discontinuation. Sixty patients with chronic hepatitis C underwent treatment with Peg-IFN-? 2b + RBV (group A; n=29) or Peg-IFN-? 2b + RBV + ALC (group B; n=31) for 12 months. At the end of the study, the comparison between group A and group B showed significant differences in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (-80.9 versus -110.3; P<0.001), alanine aminotransferase (-111.6 versus -134.7; P<0.001), Viremia (-3.26 versus -3.82; P<0.05), mental health (0 versus 11; P<0.001), physical functioning (-1 versus 8; P<0.001), role-physical (1 versus 13; P<0.001), bodily pain (1 versus 12; P<0.001), general health (3 versus 12; P<0.001), vitality (3 versus 13; P<0.001), social functioning (3 versus 10; P<0.001), physical fatigue (2.1 versus -5.4; P<0.001), mental fatigue (-0.7 versus -2.7; P<0.001), and fatigue severity scale (-3.4 versus -12; P<0.001). ALC supplementation reduced both mental and physical fatigue, improved health-related quality of life, and, therefore, has the potential to increase patient adherence to the combination regimen. This, in turn, may increase the percentage of patients achieving a sustained virological response.

PMID: 21923249
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