Coenzyme Q10, Rosuvastatin, and Clinical Outcomes in Heart Failure : A Pre-Specified Substudy of CORONA (Controlled Rosuvastatin Multinational Study in Heart Failure)

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to determine whether coenzyme Q10 is an independent predictor of prognosis in heart failure.BackgroundBlood and tissue concentrations of the essential cofactor coenzyme Q10 are decreased by statins, and this could be harmful in patients with heart failure.MethodsWe measured serum coenzyme Q10 in 1,191 patients with ischemic systolic heart failure enrolled in CORONA (Controlled Rosuvastatin Multinational Study in Heart Failure) and related this to clinical outcomes.ResultsPatients with lower coenzyme Q10 concentrations were older and had more advanced heart failure. Mortality was significantly higher among patients in the lowest compared to the highest coenzyme Q10 tertile in a univariate analysis (hazard ratio: 1.50, 95% confidence interval: 1.04 to 2.6, p = 0.03) but not in a multivariable analysis. Coenzyme Q10 was not an independent predictor of any other clinical outcome. Rosuvastatin reduced coenzyme Q10 but there was no interaction between coenzyme Q10 and the effect of rosuvastatin.ConclusionsCoenzyme Q10 is not an independent prognostic variable in heart failure. Rosuvastatin reduced coenzyme Q10, but even in patients with a low baseline coenzyme Q10, rosuvastatin treatment was not associated with a significantly worse outcome. (Controlled Rosuvastatin Multinational Study in Heart Failure [CORONA]; NCT00206310)