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
An Appeal for Support and Conformation of MRI Results
My daughter has lived with ALS-like symptoms for almost 3 years. The worst of the symptoms began when her simvastatin was increased to 80mg in 2008.
Her MRIs show LESIONS in the brain stem, specifically in the PONS area of her brain.
Of course, her 4 physicians refuse to believe that a statin is involved. They are all satisfied with the diagnosis of “Ataxia”.
My daughter needs to know that she is not alone in her suffering. She needs to know that she is not the only one crippled and that there may be hope for her condition.
My Appeal is to all those who are/were on statins and have similar brain lesions as shown and documented in MRIs. Please reply here, or contact her father directly: Dr Stephen Arvay, stephenx11@cogeco.ca