Clinical Evidence of Acetyl-L-Carnitine Efficacy in the Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Pilot Clinical Trial

Table 1

Baseline demographics and clinical features of the intention-to-treat population.

Variable	ALC group (34 patients)	Placebo group (35 patients)	value
Age (years),			0.11
BMI (kg/m^2)			0.28
Sex (M/F), (%)	19/15 (55.9/44.1)	13/22 (37.1/62.9)	0.15
Prevalence of risk factors
Smokers, (%)	17 (50.0)	13 (31.7)	0.33
Hypertension, (%)	24 (70.6)	23 (65.7)	0.79
Diabetes, (%)	10 (29.4)	11 (31.4)	1.00
CAD, (%)	11 (32.4)	6 (17.1)	0.17
Hypercholesterolemia, (%)	11 (32.4)	6 (17.1)	0.17
Other factors, (%)	10 (29.4)	7 (20.0)	0.41
SBP (mmHg),			0.97
DHP (mmHg),			0.33
Total cholesterol (mg/dl),			0.42
LDL cholesterol (mg/dl),			0.28
HDL cholesterol (mg/dl),			0.36
TG (mg/dl),			0.14
FBS (mg/dl),			0.36
Medications prior to stroke
Antiplatelet treatment, (%)	18 (52.9)	12 (34.3)	0.14
ACEI treatment, (%)	16 (47.1)	19 (54.3)	0.63
ARB treatment, (%)	9 (26.5)	6 (17.1)	0.31
Beta-blocker treatment, (%)	12 (35.3)	10 (28.6)	0.61
CCB treatment, (%)	9 (26.5)	7 (20.0)	0.57
Diuretic treatment, (%)	6 (17.6)	7 (20.0)	1.00
Insulin with oral antidiabetic treatment, (%)	7 (20.6)	4 (11.4)	0.34
Oral antidiabetic treatment, (%)	9 (26.5)	7 (20.0)	0.57
Statin treatment, (%)	18 (52.9)	20 (57.1)	0.81
Anticoagulant treatment, (%)	6 (17.6)	5 (14.3)	0.75
Cause of stroke
Atheromatosis, (%)	16 (47.1)	15 (42.9)	0.95
Embolus, (%)	7 (20.6)	7 (20.0)
Lacunar infract, (%)	5 (17.4)	6 (17.1)
Other causes, (%)	3 (8.8)	2 (5.7)
Undetermined, (%)	3 (8.8)	5 (14.3)
Time to treatment after onset of stroke (h),			0.63

Note: ALC = acetyl-L-carnitine; BMI = body mass index; SD = standard deviation; DHP = diastolic blood pressure; CAD = coronary artery disease; SBP = systolic blood pressure; HDL = high-density lipoprotein; TG = triglycerides; LDL = low-density lipoprotein; ACEI = angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; FBS = fasting blood sugar; ARB = angiotensin II receptor blockers.