Alternative Health Blog

In a study involving 70 patients with chronic hepatitis C, 42 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and 44 healthy subjects, fatigue was found to be significantly more common in patients with chronic hepatitis C and IBS, as compared to controls, and plasma levels of total and free carnitine (adjusted for fat mass) were significantly lower in patients with chronic hepatitis C, as compared to controls. Fatigue scores were negatively associated with plasma carnitine levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C, and levels of free carnitine were significantly and independently associated with severity of fatigue in patients with chronic hepatitis C (OR=2.019). These results suggest that oral supplementation with carnitine "may be effective to relieve fatigue in chronic hepatitis C."