Introduction:

The incidence of fatal cardiovascular events is very high and statin treatment is vital to reduce this risk in many patients, however, its adverse effects on skeletal muscle make it difficult to adhere or continue it. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation has been proposed to reverse myalgia associated with the use of statins. The clinical trials carried out in the last 10 years obtained conflicting results.

The aim of the present work is to review the evidence on the efficacy of the use of coenzyme Q10 supplements in mitigating myopathies caused by statins.

Methodology:

A systematic review of the published literature until July 2020 was undertaken. The searched databases were MEDLINE and SCOPUS. Institutions such as the Agencia Española del Medicamento y productos Sanitarios (AEMPS), European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Food and Drug Administration were also consulted.

Results:

The etiology of statin-associated myalgias remains unknown, and the evidence found in clinical trials and meta-analysis drew disparate conclusions. The European Medicine Agency (EMA) only considers the use of supplements in primary coenzyme Q10 deficiency syndrome, while in the United Kingdom the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) do not recommend the use of these supplements to treat myalgias associated with the use of statins.

Conclusions:

The set of studies analyzed did not obtain unanimous evidence to be able to reliably recommend this use of coenzyme Q10 supplements. Better designed studies that provide reproducibility and robustness to future clinical trials are needed.

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