Background: Patients with carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (CPT II) deficiency often experience muscle pain and myoglobinuria during prolonged exercise because of impaired oxidation of long-chain fatty acids.
Objective: To investigate whether IV or oral glucose can improve exercise tolerance in CPT II deficiency.
Methods: Five patients with CPT II deficiency and healthy matched volunteers were investigated on a cycle ergometer at a constant workload of 60% of VO(2max). Perceived exertion, heart rate, and venous plasma glucose and insulin levels were monitored. The study was randomized, placebo controlled, single blind, and crossover. Glucose and placebo were administered both orally and IV in patients and IV in healthy subjects.
Results: In patients with CPT II, exercise duration was prolonged by 28 +/- 8% (p = 0.02), and perceived exertion (p = 0.05) and heart rate (p = 0.09) were lowered by glucose infusion. In contrast, IV glucose resulted in higher heart rate during exercise in healthy subjects. Oral glucose and placebo resulted in the same exercise duration, perceived exertion, and heart rate in patients. Plasma glucose and insulin were consistently elevated during exercise by oral and IV glucose vs placebo, but plasma glucose was higher and insulin lower in IV vs oral glucose studies in patients (p = 0.02).
Conclusion: Exercise tolerance is markedly improved by a glucose infusion in patients with CPT II deficiency, but because of lower glucose availability and higher insulin levels that inhibit muscle glycogenolysis, the patients cannot achieve this effect themselves by oral glucose ingestion.