• Ayşe Çiğdem Aktuğlu Zeybek, Ertuğrul Kıykım, Kenan Barut, Tanyel Zübarioğlu, Mehmet Şerif Cansever, and Özgür Kasapçopur.
• Department of Pediatrics Division of Nutrition and Metabolism, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty, İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, İstanbul, Turkey.
• Turk J Med Sci. 2022 Jun 1; 52 (3): 724729724-729.

BackgroundJuvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common rheumatic disease in childhood and manifests mainly as autoinflammation of the joints and other tissues. Several treatment options such as nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, methotrexate, and intra-articular steroids are widely used to relieve and improve this inflammation. Secondary carnitine deficiency can be detected in chronic diseases by either renal loss or increased demand. While carnitine status can be associated with several conditions, in the present study our aim is to determine the levels of free carnitine and acyl-carnitine in Turkish JIA patients.MethodsOne hundred and fourteen patients diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and 50 healthy individuals who served as the control group were included in the study. A fasting blood sample was collected from the children in both groups to determine free carnitine and acylcarnitine ester by quadripole electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/ MS).ResultsScreening of acyl-carnitine profile revealed free carnitine, C14, C14:2, C16, C16-OH, and C18 carnitine levels were higher (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p = 0.011, respectively), while C2, C3, C4, C6, C8, C10, C10:1, C10:2, C3DC, C4DC, C5DC, C4-OH, and C18:1-OH carnitine levels were lower (p < 0.0001) in JIA patients in comparison to the control group. Total acyl-carnitine levels (p < 0.001) and acyl-carnitine to free carnitine ratio (p < 0.001) were also lower in JIA patients than the control group. Free carnitine levels were significantly higher (48.05 ± 13.36 μmol/L) in patients under antiinflammatory drug therapy than those who did not receive any treatment (43.18 ± 7.96 μmol/L) (p = 0.004).DiscussionIn the present study we were not able to define secondary carnitine deficiency in JIA patients, although free carnitine and acyl-carnitine variations were detected in JIA patients. In conclusion, routine carnitine supplementation is not recommended in all patients with JIA.

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