Insulin autoimmune syndrome possibly caused by coenzyme Q10

Abstract

A 52-year-old woman was transported for reduced consciousness. Her blood glucose was only 19 mg/dL, but her blood immunoreactive insulin and insulin antibody levels were high at 250 μU/mL and 50 U/mL, respectively. She had no history of insulin treatment, but she had been taking coenzyme Q10 supplements for three months. Her human leukocyte antigen serotype was DR4. After stopping coenzyme Q10, her hypoglycemia disappeared and immunoreactive insulin and insulin antibody levels normalized. Based on the above, she was diagnosed with insulin autoimmune syndrome caused by coenzyme Q10. It is necessary to be aware of the onset of insulin autoimmune syndrome due to coenzyme Q10. Its pathogenesis requires clarification.

Insulin Autoimmune Syndrome: A Systematic Review

“…Te most common such drugs are methimazole [16,17] and lipoic acid [18][19][20][21][22]. Others include clopidogrel [23][24][25][26], proton pump inhibitors [27] (pantoprazole [8], omeprazole), carbimazole [28], coenzyme Q10 [29], antituberculosis drugs [30], gliclazide [31], captopril [32], loxoprofen sodium [33], and albumin preparations [34], within the preceding week. Studies have shown that approximately half of IAS patients have a history of medication before the onset of the disease, and more than 90% of them used drugs containing sulfhydryl groups such as α-lipoic acid or its metabolites [35].…”