Carnitine Deficiency in Rehabilitation Ward Individuals and its Association With Activities of Daily Living: A Pilot Retrospective Observational Study

Objective

To investigate the presence of carnitine deficiency in a rehabilitation ward and the differences in functional independence measure (FIM) motor scores between participants with and without carnitine deficiency.

Design

A pilot, single-center, cross-sectional, retrospective observational study.

Setting

A rehabilitation ward of a hospital where 34% of the local population is aged ≥65 years.

Participants

Hospitalized patients in a rehabilitation ward who underwent a blood test during the 3-month observation period; carnitine was measured in participants (N=141) (mean age, 80.3y; 46 men).

Interventions

Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures

The primary outcome was the proportion of participants with carnitine deficiency. The secondary outcome was the FIM motor score at admission. Other outcomes were exploratory.

Results

The prevalence of carnitine deficiency was 8.5% (12 of 141 participants); 9 of 116 participants (7.8%) were primarily hospitalized for musculoskeletal diseases, and 3 of 24 (12.5%) had cerebrovascular diseases. Participants with carnitine deficiency had significantly lower FIM motor scores (median, 25.0; interquartile range [IQR], 17.2-36.2) than those without (median, 45.0; IQR, 27.0-65.0]; P=.02). The median difference was estimated to be 18.0 (95% CI, 4.0-33.0).

Conclusions

This study revealed the presence of carnitine deficiency in a rehabilitation ward in patients who had suffered from stroke or musculoskeletal disease and suggests a possible association with greater difficulty in performing ADL. Further studies in this area are needed.