The effect of statin therapy on infection-related mortality in patients with atherosclerotic diseases*

Abstract

Therapy with statins may be associated with a reduced risk of infection-related mortality. This protective effect is independent of all known comorbidities and dissipates when the medication is discontinued. If this finding is supported by prospective controlled trials, statins may play an important role in the primary prevention of infection-related mortality.

Diabetes patients and non-diabetic patients intensive care unit and hospital mortality risks associated with sepsis

“…Guidelines suggest that diabetics routinely be provided medications that impact on survival (HMG CoA reductase inhibitors, ACE, AR�, asprin and calcium channel blockers). For example, mortality is significantly reduced in bacteremic patients who had previously been treated with HMG CoA reductase inhibitor therapy [19][20][21][22] . The attributable mortality was reduced from 20% to 3% in one study [19] and hospital mortality was reduced from 23.1% to 10.�% in a second study (OR 0.39, 95% CI: CI: 0.17-0.91, , P �� 0.05) �� 0.05) 0.05) 0.05) [20] .…”

“…Furthermore, if HMG CoA reductase inhibitor therapy was continued during the hospital stay, the OR for mortality was greatly reduced (0.0��� 95% CI: 0.01-0.44, CI: 0.01-0.44, 0.01-0.44, P �� 0.01) �� 0.01) 0.01) 0.01) [20] . Even if prior HMG CoA reductase inhibitor therapy was stopped upon admission to the hospital, a mortality benefit persisted (�.37 risk adjusted OR, P �� 0.05) 0.05) 0.05) [21] . Prior ACE therapy [19] or AR� therapy [22] appear to have similar mortality benefits in users as compared to non-users.…”

Farnesyltransferase Inhibitor FTI-277 Reduces Mortality of Septic Mice along with Improved Bacterial Clearance

“…Observational studies have shown that patients taking statin therapy for hypercholesterolemia or ischemic heart disease have reduced incidence and mortality from sepsis compared with those who were not treated with statins (Almog et al, 2004(Almog et al, , 2007. Likewise, previous studies in mice have shown that statin treatment extends survival after the induction of sepsis, infection, and endotoxin challenge (Merx et al, 2004(Merx et al, , 2005Yasuda et al, 2006;Ayyadurai et al, 2010;Rosch et al, 2010;Shinozaki et al, 2010;Takano et al, 2011).…”

Statin as an Anti-Inflammatory Agent in Sepsis

“…They also reduce mortality 4.5 times in septic patients with atherosclerosis [74], 2 times in patients with pneumonia [75], 2.3 times suspected infection releated mortality in the emergency department [76]. In contrast, some other studies reported no improve on clinical outcomes with statins, and are not associated with reduced mortality or need for admission to an ICU in patients with pneumonia; and reports of benefit in sepsis attributed to confounding variables [77;78].…”