Statin drugs may lower deaths from flu: study

[steven johnson]

The risk of death in patients with flu was reduced by statins. Red yeast rice is an over the counter statin so it's easy to get. Be warned, though, mycotoxins have been found in some brands so caveat emptor.

I've taken red yeast rice when my statin prescription lapsed but buyer beware.

Patients taking statin drugs were almost 50 percent less likely to die from flu, researchers reported on Thursday in a study providing more evidence the cholesterol-lowering drugs help the body cope with infection.


The findings are compelling enough to justify doing controlled studies in which some patients are given the drugs deliberately and some are not, said Meredith Vandermeer of the Oregon Public Health Division, who helped lead the study.

Vandermeer and a team of researchers, including at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, looked at the records of 2,800 people who were hospitalized with seasonal influenza in 10 states during the 2007-2008 flu season.
Overall, 2.1 percent of patients taking statins died, compared to 3.2 percent of patients not taking statins. That means patients taking statins were just under 50 percent less likely to die.

A few other studies also have suggested that statins may help flu patients by lowering inflammation.
Inflammation is part of the body's immune response -- a flood of chemicals and cells summoned to fight viral and bacterial invaders. It is also involved in heart and artery disease.

Statin drugs may lower deaths from flu: study