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Importance of Coenzyme Q10 in the body

The annual Heart Failure Congress is in 2013 being held in Lisbon, Portugal, between 25 and 28 May. This is usually the major annual conference of Heart Failure Association of European Association of Cardiology. The new drug, Coenzyme Q10 naturally occurs in the body. It is very important for survival, and it is used by mitochondria as a carrier of electrons. In addition, Coenzyme Q10 is used in energy production and a very powerful antioxidant as well. In fact, this is the only antioxidant which can be synthesized by the human body.

Patients suffering heart failure experience a reduced level of Coenzyme Q10 in heart muscles and as the severity of heart failure worsens with time, deficiency of Coenzyme Q10 is even more pronounced. The common treatments for heart failure are statins, which work by blocking cholesterol synthesis. Unfortunately, statins also block Coenzyme Q10 synthesis, which decreases are levels even further in the body.

Controlled double blind trials recently showed Coenzyme Q10 plays a crucial role in improving symptoms, the capacity of functioning and the quality of life for heart failure patients. The best thing is that it does so without any side effects. However, there have been no trials undertaken to ascertain whether Coenzyme Q10 can have further effects after the patient survives.

The recent Q-SYMBIO study was done by randomly selecting 420 patients who had a severe heart failure condition, both Class III and IV to placebo or CoQ10 where the patients were observed for a period of two years. The study’s primary endpoint had been identified to the time of MACE- major adverse cardiovascular effect where unplanned hospitalization was included after the heart failure condition worsened, urgent cardiac transplantation, cardiovascular death as well as mechanical support of circulatory system. The centres that participated in the study were in Sweden, Denmark, Slovakia Austria, Hungary, Poland Australia, Malaysia and India.

The effects of Coenzyme Q10 on heart failure

According to the study findings, Coenzyme Q10 reduced the risk of MACE by half and 14 percent or 29 patients who received the drug being able to reach primary endpoint in comparison to 25 percent or 55 patients in placebo group. In addition, the findings further continued that Coenzyme Q10 managed to reduce the risk of heart failure patients from dying from any cause. This occurred in 9 percent of 18 patients of patients in Coenzyme Q10 group in comparison of 17 percent/ 37 patients in placebo group. Patients treated with Coenzyme Q10 showed a significantly reduced cardiovascular mortality and hospitalizations resulting from heart failure were also significantly lowered. In addition, adverse events were fewer for patients treated with Coenzyme Q10 unlike for those in placebo group. Professor Mortensen noted that Coenzyme Q10 was the only successful medication in over a decade since beta blockers and ACE inhibitors to improve survival chances of patients with chronic heart failure and the drug should be included in the standard therapy for heart failure.