• Takao Miwa, Tatsunori Hanai, Kotaro Morino, Naoki Katsumura, and Masahito Shimizu.
• Department of Internal Medicine, JA Gifu Kouseiren Chuno Kousei Hospital, Seki, Japan.
• Nutrition. 2020 Mar 1; 71: 110638.

Abstractl-carnitine, a compound responsible for transportation of acyl groups across cell membranes and modulating intracellular acyl-coenzyme A levels, is reported to reduce muscle cramps in patients with liver cirrhosis and diabetes and those on dialysis. A 79-y-old man with right-sided paralysis was admitted to our hospital and diagnosed with cerebral infarction. Nocturnal leg cramps appeared in the affected side and caused sleep disturbance. Supplementation with l-carnitine reduced the number of nocturnal leg cramps and alleviated sleep disturbance. It also plays an important role in nerve protection and treatment for carnitine deficiency. Patients with stroke-induced paralysis experience muscle wasting, which might reduce pooled carnitine in the affected side. This case suggests that stroke may cause localized carnitine deficiency, and l-carnitine supplementation might be effective for muscle cramps induced by stroke. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of l-carnitine supplementation for muscle cramps triggered by cerebral infarction.Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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