Evaluation of the efficacy of propionyl-L-carnitine versus pulsed muscular compressions in diabetic and non-diabetic patients affected by obliterating arteriopathy Leriche stage II

What Was Tested

Researchers studied L-Carnitine in this randomized controlled trial publication.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 14 patients taking part.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

Forty-two patients with arterial disease were selected (22 males and 20 females; mean age: 62+/-8 years; 21 type 2 diabetic [DB] and 21 non-DB [NDB]).

At enrollment all patients completed a symptoms questionnaire enabling both clinical and social evaluation of the impact of the arteriopathy on the quality of life.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized study.

The patients were allocated by chance, so the L-Carnitine group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Then, patients had: routine blood samples, echo duplex scan; evaluation of the ankle/arm (Winsor) index; impedance plethysmography (Rheoscreen) to measure the crest time (CT), index of the pathological changes due to the sclerosis on the vascular wall, and measurement of walking distance by means of treadmill test.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Arterial Occlusive Diseases, Cardiovascular Agents, Carnitine, Combined Modality Therapy, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Intermittent Claudication and Intermittent Pneumatic Compression Devices.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of L-Carnitine in 14 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Its findings take up roughly 4 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2008 (International angiology : a journal of the International Union of Angiology), a journal based in Italy.

More context: the L-Carnitine compound page, all human trials.