Serum levels of coenzyme Q(10) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

To elucidate whether serum coenzyme Q(10) levels are related with the risk for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we compared serum levels of coenzy me Q(10) and the coenzyme Q(10)/cholesterol ratio, in 30 patients with ALS and 42 matched controls using a high performance liquid chromatography tech nique. The mean serum coenzyme Q(10) levels and the coenzyme Q(10)/choleste rol ratio did not differ significantly between the 2 study groups. These va lues were not influenced by the clinical form (spinal vs. bulbar) of ALS, a nd they did not correlate with age, age at onset, and duration of the disea se. These results suggest that serum coenzyme Q(10) concentrations are unre lated with the risk for ALS.