Effectiveness of 4-Week Oral Taurine Treatment for Muscle Cramps in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis:A Single-Arm Pilot Study

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#Painful muscle cramps are a common complication in liver cirrhosis patients, and no effective treatment is available.This pilot study aimed to evaluate whether taurine supplementation improves muscle cramps in Korean cirrhotic patients. @*Materials and Methods@#Ten cirrhotic patients who experienced muscle cramps one or more times/week were enrolled in this prospective single-arm study and administered with an oral taurine solution (1 g/50 mL) thrice a day for 4 weeks. Taurine was discontinued for the subsequent 4 weeks. The frequency and intensity of muscle cramps were evaluated using a questionnaire at weeks 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 after the start of treatment. @*Results@#At baseline, the median frequency of muscle cramps was six times/week, and all patients had severe pain. Muscle cramp scores (frequency×intensity) decreased in seven patients by weeks 4 and 8 after treatment initiation. Compared to baseline muscle cramp scores [median 21, interquartile range (IQR) 8–84], median muscle cramp scores were lower at week 4 (6.5, IQR 3–12, p=0.126) and week 8 (5, IQR 1.5–56, p=0.066). All five patients whose baseline plasma taurine levels were below the normal limit showed increased taurine levels at week 4; 60% of them experienced improvements in their muscle cramps. Of the five patients with normal or higher taurine levels, 80% experienced an improvement in symptoms at week 4. The safety and tolerability of the 4-week taurine therapy were excellent. @*Conclusion@#Oral taurine therapy for 4 weeks improved muscle cramps safely in cirrhotic patients.