Acetyl-L-Carnitine In Severe Hepatic Encephalopathy

October 18, 2010 updated by: University of Catania
To assess the clinical efficacy of ALC in the treatment of severe hepatic encephalopathy (grade 3 of the West Haven grading scale), we performed a randomised, double blind placebo-controlled study administering ALC to cirrhotic patients, evaluating the effects on ammonia levels and performance in cognitive functions.

Study Overview

Study Type

Interventional

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

      • Catania, Italy, 95126
        • Cannizzaro Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

40 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • patients with severe hepatic encephalopathy (grade 3 of the West Haven grading scale) with hepatic cirrhosis

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with a history of recent alcohol abuse, patients using psychotropic drugs (e.g., antipsychotics, interferon, benzodiazepines, anti-epileptics, sedatives and antidepressants)
  • Other exclusion criteria were the following: major complications of portal hypertension, such as gastrointestinal blood loss, hepatorenal syndrome or bacterial peritonitis; acute superimposed liver injury;patients with metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, unbalanced heart failure and/or respiratory failure or end-stage renal disease; any additional precipitating factors such as high protein intake (additional high-protein meals), constipation; illiteracy.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: placebo
twice per day
Experimental: Acetyl-L-carnitine
2g per day

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

July 1, 2002

Study Completion

December 1, 2005

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 18, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 18, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

October 19, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

October 19, 2010

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 18, 2010

Last Verified

December 1, 2000

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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