Statins help with influenza
December 15, 2011
STATINS may be able to reduce
the risk of death from influenza
virus infections according to a new
study published in the Journal of
Infectious Diseases.
The multistate US study, titled
‘Association Between Use of Statins
and Mortality Among Patients
Hospitalized With Laboratory-
Confirmed Influenza Virus
Infections’ looked at 3,043 patients
who were hospitalised with
laboratory-confirmed influenza,
33.3% of whom received statins
and 5% who died within 30 days of
their influenza test.
According to the researchers
those patients taking statins were
generally older and male,
vaccinated against seasonal flu and
suffering from cardiovascular,
metabolic, renal, and chronic lung
disease.
Using a multivariable logistic
regression model, the researchers
found that administration of
statins prior to or during
hospitalisation “was associated
with a protective odds of death
(adjusted odds ratio, 0.59 [95%
confidence interval, .38–.92])
when adjusting for age; race;
cardiovascular, lung, and renal
disease; influenza vaccination; and
antiviral administration”.
As such the researchers
concluded that “statins may have
anti-inflammatory and
immunomodulatory effects that
could reduce the risk of mortality
from influenza virus infections”.
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