Citak Elvan Caglar, Citak Funda Erkasar, Kurekci Ahmet Emin
Department of Pediatrics, Gazi University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2006 Jul-Aug;23(5):381-5. doi: 10.1080/08880010600646704.
Carnitine is ingested through animal-derived foods as well as synthesized in vivo. It plays an important role in the energy metabolism of many tissues. Iron acts as a co-factor for the synthesis of carnitine. However, the importance of iron deficiency as a cause of secondary carnitine deficiency is not well established. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum levels of carnitine in children with iron-deficiency anemia compared to those of healthy children and to determine if serum carnitine levels in with or without pica differ. The mean serum carnitine concentration in the iron-deficiency group was significantly lower than that in healthy children (12.44+/- 5.09 and 32.48 +/- 7.92 micromol/L, respectively, p < .001). In the iron-deficient group, serum carnitine levels, ferritin levels, and other hematological parameters were lowest in patients with pica (p < .001). Pearson correlation test indicated a positive correlation between serum carnitine and ferritin levels in iron-deficient patients. Based on the evidence about the effect of low iron on carnitine stores in animal studies, the authors propose that low serum carnitine levels in these children may be secondary to iron-deficiency anemia. However, further large-scale studies are needed to establish the frequency of carnitine deficiency in children with iron-deficiency anemia.
肉碱可通过动物源性食物摄入，也可在体内合成。它在许多组织的能量代谢中发挥重要作用。铁是肉碱合成的辅助因子。然而，缺铁作为继发性肉碱缺乏原因的重要性尚未得到充分证实。本研究的目的是调查缺铁性贫血儿童与健康儿童的血清肉碱水平，并确定有异食癖和无异食癖的儿童血清肉碱水平是否存在差异。缺铁组的平均血清肉碱浓度显著低于健康儿童（分别为12.44±5.09和32.48±7.92微摩尔/升，p<.001）。在缺铁组中，有异食癖的患者血清肉碱水平、铁蛋白水平和其他血液学参数最低（p<.001）。Pearson相关性检验表明缺铁患者血清肉碱与铁蛋白水平呈正相关。基于动物研究中关于低铁对肉碱储备影响的证据，作者提出这些儿童血清肉碱水平低可能继发于缺铁性贫血。然而，需要进一步的大规模研究来确定缺铁性贫血儿童肉碱缺乏的发生率。
