HubbleRules

All,

You are probably shocked by the title of this thread, especially coming from me. If you've been on this forum for a year or so, you know I have said over-and-over that I feel statins are the most over-prescribed drug in the world. I stand by that opinion - for cholesterol and CHD prevention, they are grossly overprescribed (IMHO).

However, I'm not an ideolog either, and when I see new information that seems credible, I try to be objective about it.

Well, here's the shocker.

I've been reading more and more about how statins may be of significant benefit in reducing mortality rates from BIRD FLU (H5N1) should that terrible virus eventually mutate into a form that is readily transmissible between humans. It seems the anti-inflammatory properties of statins have been linked to decreased death rates from influenza, pneumonia, and sepsis.

Statins seem to reduce the production of pro-inflammatory Cytokines. Ironically, it is the healthiest who die in greatest numbers from H5N1 (and this was also true in the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic). The immune systems of healthy individuals grossly overproduce these proteins in response to the virus, leading to extensive lung and kidney damage. Death rates are highest in those under 40...


Some quotes from an article:

1) The idea that statins might be helpful for sepsis or influenza is based on more than speculation about mechanism. In 2004 Almog et al. (Circulation, Aug 17 2004;110(7):880-885) reported that patients admitted to the hospital with acute bacterial infections and who were on statins for more than a month for other reasons had a dramatically reduced incidence of severe sepsis (19% versus 2.2%) and reduced admission to the Intensive Care Unit (12.2% vs. 3.7%). An interesting point is that patients on statins might be expected to be at greater risk because they are taking a medication for a pre-existing medical condition.

2) These studies suggest that statin therapy may ameliorate the course and/or prevent complications of influenza. In these studies, it appears that all of the people were already receiving statins when they got infected. Whether statins would be beneficial after the onset of symptoms is still unknown. However, further investigation is merited. This is particularly important given the likelihood that vaccines and antiviral agents will be in short supply during an influenza pandemic, and statins are widely available and may be produced relatively inexpensively.

The anti-inflammatory properties of statins can be gained by using them at a reduced dosage... reducing the risk of other side effects of these drugs. I may just be asking my doctor to refill my Lipitor prescription, and I may just stock-pile it in case H5N1 comes to our shores in a mutated, infectious form.

HubbleRules

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