Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Death Risks Reduced for Patients on Statins Hospitalised With Influenza: Presented at IDSA By Ed Susman PHILADELPHIA -- October 30, 2009 -- Patients on statin therapy who are hospitalised with seasonal influenza have about a 50% reduced risk of dying from the viral infection, researchers stated here at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). “This early research suggests a potential role for statins in treatment of influenza and should be studied further,” said Meredith Vandermeer, Emerging Infections Program, Oregon Public Health Division, Portland, Oregon, at a press briefing here October 29. “This is the first study that looks at the relationship between statins and death among patients hospitalised with influenza,” she said. Vandermeer and colleagues scrutinised medical records of 2,800 people who were hospitalised with seasonal flu in 10 states during the 2007-2008 influenza season. In that group of patients, 17 of 801 who were on statins in the hospital (~2.1%) died of influenza or its complications. Of the 1,999 who were not on statins in the hospital, 64 died (~3.2%). Vandermeer said that represented a 54% decreased risk, taking into account other risk factors such as age and use of antiviral drugs. She said that the database did not allow the researchers to determine the dose of statin that patients were on nor how long the patients had been taking the cholesterol-lowering drugs. She said that the researchers are analysing the data to determine if one brand of statin is associated with better odds of surviving the flu than another. “We believe that statins may be able to mediate an immune response in addition to being able to lower cholesterol,” she said. However, Vandermeer said the results of the study would not be sufficient to makes recommendations for prescribing statins for treatment of infectious diseases. “It appears that statins give people some benefit,” said Andrew Pavia, MD, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, who moderated the press briefing for the IDSA. [Presentation title: Publishing Title: Role of Statins in Preventing Death Among Patients Hospitalized With Lab Confirmed Influenza Infections. Abstract 706] E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version