Statins May Protect Against Flu Mortality

By Julie Stachowiak, PhD
Multiple Sclerosis Guide; Guest blogger

Good news for anyone taking Lipitor, Crestor, Lescor, Zocor, Pravachol or Mevacor (drugs known as statins) to lower cholesterol - people taking one of these statins who were hospitalized for influenza (seasonal, not H1N1) were 50% less likely to die from the flu or flu complications.

The study looked at the records of 2,800 people who had been hospitalized during the 2007-2008 flu season and found that 2.1 percent of people who were taking statins died, while 3.2 percent of those not taking statins died. After controlling for certain factors, such as age and use of antiviral medications, this indicated that stains lowered risk of death from seasonal influenza by more than half.

One explanation is that statins help by lowering the inflammation that comes with infection and keeps the body from reacting in a dangerous way to the flu. Other researchers say that statins can also result in milder flu symptoms.

Read more about the statin drugs here on About.com's Heart Disease site: The Statin Drugs