Plasma carnitine is associated with fatigue in chronic hepatitis C but not in the irritable bowel syndrome

Abstract

SUMMARY BackgroundFatigue is an important determinant of altered quality of life in patients affected by chronic hepatitis C or the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Neuropsychiatric and Psychosocial Issues of Patients With Hepatitis C Infection: A Selective Literature Review

“…Psychological and psychiatric comorbidities as well as old age, being female and single have been important predictors of fatigue in several studies (9, 24, 25). Several biological markers including low serum carnitine, creatinine, and BDNF concentrations (9, 11, 26), and higher serum leptin concentrations (27) also predicted higher fatigue levels in HCV-infected patients. Other biochemical, pathological, and viral parameters are unrelated to fatigue (9, 21, 27, 28).…”

Fatigue in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Pooled Frequency and Severity of Fatigue

“…Piche et al [12] demonstrated that mast cell count, a marker of intestinal inflammation, was correlated with fatigue (r ¼ .64, p < .001, N ¼ 50). Piche et al [20] and Anty et al [18] reported that the leptin levels related to inflammation were positively associated with fatigue in IBS. Other biomarkers of hemoglobin (r ¼ À.19, p < .001, N ¼ 80) and albumin (r ¼ À.15, p ¼ .01, N ¼ 80), were negatively correlated with the severity of fatigue; however, no association was found between fatigue and C-reactive protein or platelets in IBS [21].…”

“…In addition, one study [36] reported that the higher arousal of central processing of visceral stimuli was related to lower fatigue in IBS. Indicators of low-grade inflammation played a role as fatiguerelated biomarkers [12,18,20]. Piche et al [12] demonstrated that mast cell count, a marker of intestinal inflammation, was correlated with fatigue (r ¼ .64, p < .001, N ¼ 50).…”

“…The HRQOL was the most frequently reported factor in six studies as a possible consequence of fatigue in IBS. Many studies reported that fatigue was significantly inversely correlated with low HRQOL scores, and emphasized the negative impact of fatigue on HRQOL [8,18,22,24,32,38]. Two studies reported that fatigue was associated with interferences in daily life [23,32].…”

Fatigue and serum carnitine levels in chronic liver disease

“…Anty et al. 7 have taken on some of these issues, attempting to shed light on the nature of fatigue in liver disease. They report an association between fasting serum carnitine levels and the severity of fatigue, as assessed by a Fatigue Impact Scale questionnaire in 70 noncirrhotic patients with chronic hepatitis C. The association was mostly statistical, the dot‐plots in figure 3 showing overlap of carnitine levels at different levels of fatigue and lack of homogeneity of the results (driven by the 5 or 6 ‘outliers’).…”