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Clinical Chemistry 51: 745-752, 2005. First published February 11, 2005; 10.1373/clinchem.2004.043646
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(Clinical Chemistry. 2005;51:745-752.)
© 2005 American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Inc.

Laboratory Management

Age-Related Variations in Acylcarnitine and Free Carnitine Concentrations Measured by Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Catia Testa Cavedon1,a, Pierre Bourdoux1, Karl Mertens2, Hong Vien Van Thi1, Nadine Herremans1, Corinne de Laet3 and Philippe Goyens1,3

1 Newborn Screening Center, Laboratory of Pediatrics, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
2 Scientific Institute for Public Health (IPH), Epidemiology Unit, Brussels, Belgium.
3 Department of Pediatrics, Queen Fabiola University Children’s Hospital, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.

aAddress correspondence to this author at: 80 Strathcona Gardens, G13 1DN, Glasgow, United Kingdom. Fax 44-32-2-477-2563; e-mail catia.cavedon{at}gmail.com.

Background: The acylcarnitine profiles obtained from dried blood spots on "Guthrie cards" have been widely used for the diagnosis and follow-up of children suspected of carrying an inherited error of metabolism, but little attention has been paid to potential age-related variations in the reference values. In this study, we evaluated the variations in free carnitine and acylcarnitine concentrations with age, as measured by tandem mass spectrometry.

Methods: Filter-paper blood spots were collected from 433 healthy individuals over a period of 17 months. Eight age groups were defined: cord blood, 3–6 days (control group), 15–55 days, 2–18 months, 19–59 months, 5–10 years, 11–17 years, and 18–54 years. Free carnitine and acylcarnitines were measured for each individual. Mean values were calculated for each age group and compared with those for the control group.

Results: Free carnitine was significantly higher in older children than in newborns (P <0.05), but the concentrations of several acylcarnitines tended to be significantly lower in cord blood and in groups of older children than in the control group. Only minor sex-related differences were observed.

Conclusion: Although the risk of underdiagnosis of fatty acid oxidation disorders with the use of newborn values as reference can be considered as small, in some circumstances the use of age-related reference values may have a potential impact on the diagnosis and management of inherited errors of metabolism.




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