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Carnitine deficiency: a possible cause of gastrointestinal dysmotility
Author(s) -
Weaver LT,
Rosenthal SR,
Gladstone W,
Winter HS
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1992.tb12085.x
Subject(s) - medicine , carnitine , intensive care medicine , gastroenterology
An infant with delayed development and peripheral myopathy, nourished on a soy‐based liquid diet deficient in carnitine, had gastrointestinal dysmotility manifested by postprandial vomiting, oral drooling, delayed gastric emptying and infrequent bowel movements. Oesophageal manometry showed a reduced lower oesophageal sphincter pressure for age with abnormal distal motility. Serum carnitine concentration was 9.9 μmol I ‐1 . After dietary supplementation of carnitine the gastrointestinal symptoms resolved, oesophageal manometry returned to normal, and serum carnitine increased to 37.2 μmol I ‐1 . Dietary carnitine deficiency in infancy may be a cause of smooth muscle dysmotility of the gastrointestinal tract.