Statins are used to lower cholesterol and to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease. More recently, observational studies have reported associations between the use of statins and decreased risk of infections, including pneumonia, raising interest in their potential to decrease infection-related death.

However, in the June 16, 2009 issue of BMJ, scientists report that statin use does not seem to lower the risk of pneumonia among community-dwelling older people.

Researchers from the University of Washington and their colleagues studied a group of adults aged 65 to 94 in order to evaluate the association between statin use and the risk of community-acquired pneumonia. They found that the adults who acquired pneumonia were more likely to have chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease, and functional or cognitive impairment. However, there was no significant difference in statin use among those adults who got pneumonia and those who did not.

The authors of the study suggest that the prior observations regarding statin use and the decreased risk of pneumonia may have reflected unmeasured differences between statin users and non-users. They further suggest that clinical trials of statins for the prevention or treatment of widespread infection may be premature, given the uncertainty about the real benefits of statin use.

Source:

BMJ. 2009;338:b2137.