PSJ Web Site
J-STAGE
  Software Requirements
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 or higher and Netscape Navigator 4.75 or higher are recommended.


J.Health Sci., 54(5), 571-575, 2008

Can Coenzyme Q10 Lead to Improvement of Essential Hypertension?: A Long-Term Case Study

Ikuko Kimura,*, a Masayasu Kimura,b Hiroshi Tsuneki,c Toshiyasu Sasaoka,c and Sakuji Koyad

aDepartment of Food and Nutrition Science, Toyama College, 444 Gankaiji, Toyama 930-0193, Japan, bToyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan, cDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan, and dWakanyaku Medical Institute, Ltd., 1193 Akagiyama, Fujimimura, Seta-Gun, Gunma 371-0101, Japan

Many hypertensive patients are continuously prescribed various antihypertensive drugs despite the undesirable side effects such as nausea, dizziness, and vertigo. To decrease the use of cardiovascular drugs for preventing these side effects, alternative pharmacotherapy with supplements such as coenzyme Q10 has been extensively studied. However, the effects of coenzyme Q10 based on clinical trials involving relatively small patient numbers have been varied, and the impact on the cardiovascular system remains to be clarified. Here we report a case of 67-year-old woman with essential hypertension (maximum systolic/diastolic blood pressure: 155/100 mmHg) who had been prescribed candesartan cilexetil as an outpatient for about 5 years. Regardless of the treatment, the symptoms were not relieved, and the systolic and diastolic blood pressures gradually increased with age. However, after weeklong supplementation with coenzyme Q10, her diastolic blood pressure returned to normal, and so did her systolic blood pressure after month-long supplementation. Subsequently, she completely ceased taking candesartan. Thus, coenzyme Q10 supplementation may be effective for selected patients with essential hypertension. This should be investigated further in randomized controlled trials.