ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 13 (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist says the cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins might be helpful in the event of an influenza pandemic.
Statins lower "bad" cholesterol levels in the blood by blocking the liver's production of cholesterol. Statins may further protect the heart by regulating the immune system and reducing inflammation. Recent studies suggest those effects also help patients with serious infectious diseases, such as pneumonia and bacterial infection of the blood.
Because influenza is associated with inflammation and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, Dr. David Fedson, a retired researcher for a major vaccine maker, says the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of statins might be of use.
"It is important to recognize the statins-influenza idea is only that -- an idea," Fedson said. "It needs to be confirmed by rigorous scientific studies."
He also notes statins wouldn't replace vaccines. "Unlike vaccines, they probably wouldn't prevent (influenza virus) infection itself," he said. But he says if research demonstrates statins are beneficial, "their value would most likely be in preventing serious complications and death."
The idea appears in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, a publication of the Alexandria, Va., Infectious Diseases Society of America.
