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Treatment

The treatment is simple and is merely about providing lots of carnitine to the patient, so that the content of carnitine in the blood rises to the normal value. By doing so the carnitine flow in the cells rises to a level, which makes the burning of fats function just as a healthy person.

If children with CTD intake carnitine on a daily basis, they tend to grow and mend normally and are not in a higher risk to get sick compared to other children.

However, it is important to know that carnitine is secreted from the body fast, which means that if people with CTD throw up or somehow stop taking carnitine, they will after a short while be in a state of carnitine deficiency. In these cases it may be necessary to hospitalize the patient for an intravenous carnitine treatment, until the patient again is able to consume carnitine.

In addition to the treatment it is necessary to know that some kinds of medicine reduce the content of carnitine in the body, and should therefore not be given to patients with CTD. This especially includes medicine such as: pivampicillin (antibiotics including pondocillin) and valproate (medicine for epilepsy), which should not be given patients, who have CTD.

Furthermore, this also includes pivmecillinam (Selexid® og Penomax®), which is a new antibiotic for bladder infections. The chief medical officer in the Faroe Islands has demanded, that when a doctor prescribes a medicine with either pivampicillin or pivmecillinam, the doctor has to take a blood test from the patient to make sure that the carnitine level is more than 10 µmol/L, and this should be stated on the order. If it is not stated in the medicine order, the patient will not be handed the medicine at the pharmacy. CTD patients can also increase their CTD levels by eating often and by eating food, which contains carnitine such as red meat. However, carnitine treatment for patients with CTD is the overall treatment, and should not be ignored.