tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Influenza Vaccination of Patients Receiving Statins: Where Do We Go From Here?
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Atherosclerotic vascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States [1]. Cardiovascular events also are a major contributor to excess mortality seen during influenza epidemics [2]. Statins were developed to treat hypercholesterolemia, and their use as primary or secondary prevention of atherosclerotic vascular disease has significantly reduced all-cause mortality and major vascular events in at-risk populations [3]. Their impact on human health has led to their use in >40% of the US population aged >65 years [4]. Statins also have immunomodulatory effects [5], and it has been suggested that their use may have protective effects during an influenza pandemic [6]. A decreased risk of mortality has been reported in persons with laboratory-confirmed acute influenza receiving a statin medication concomitantly [7], although this observation may have been explained by a healthy-user bias due to inadequate control for health-related differences among persons receiving and those not receiving a statin [8, 9]. Other studies have failed to find a benefit among influenza virus–infected persons taking a statin, compared with those not receiving such therapy [9, 10]. From these results, whether statin use has a favorable impact on influenza-related disease remains unresolved.
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http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/conten...is.jiv459.full
- [SUP]1[/SUP]Department of Medicine
- [SUP]2[/SUP]Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Correspondence: Robert L. Atmar, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plz, MS BCM280, Houston, TX 77030 (ratmar{at}bcm.edu).
Key words
Next Section
Atherosclerotic vascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States [1]. Cardiovascular events also are a major contributor to excess mortality seen during influenza epidemics [2]. Statins were developed to treat hypercholesterolemia, and their use as primary or secondary prevention of atherosclerotic vascular disease has significantly reduced all-cause mortality and major vascular events in at-risk populations [3]. Their impact on human health has led to their use in >40% of the US population aged >65 years [4]. Statins also have immunomodulatory effects [5], and it has been suggested that their use may have protective effects during an influenza pandemic [6]. A decreased risk of mortality has been reported in persons with laboratory-confirmed acute influenza receiving a statin medication concomitantly [7], although this observation may have been explained by a healthy-user bias due to inadequate control for health-related differences among persons receiving and those not receiving a statin [8, 9]. Other studies have failed to find a benefit among influenza virus–infected persons taking a statin, compared with those not receiving such therapy [9, 10]. From these results, whether statin use has a favorable impact on influenza-related disease remains unresolved.
...
http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/conten...is.jiv459.full