Successful treatment of periodic paralysis with coenzyme Q10: two case reports

Yuwei Da 1, Lin Lei 1, Karin Jurkat-Rott 2, Frank Lehmann-Horn 3

1  Department of Neurology, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; 2 Department of Neurosurgery, Ulm University, Germany; 3 Division of Neurophysiology, Ulm University, Germany

Primary periodic paralyses (PPs) are autosomal dominant ion channel disorders characterized by episodic flaccid weakness associated with variations in serum potassium level. The main prophylactic therapy of choice for PPsis carbonic anhydrase inhibitors that are not always effective. In this report, we described two PP patients who were successfully treated with coenzyme Q10. They remained asymptomatic since initiation of treatment, which may be associated with promotion of energy synthesis, anti-oxidant activity, influence of the fiber type composition and regulation of the expression of gene. To our knowledge, this is the first report of primary periodic paralyses which have been successfully treated with CoQ10. More observations need to substantiate this clinical finding in PPs.

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