A Danish study finds that patients who were hospitalized for pneumonia and taking statins at the time (cholesterol-lowering drugs) had one-third lower death rate than those not taking statins.
According to experts, the findings are preliminary and further research is needed to prescribe statins as infection fighters.
Dr. Reimar W, Thomsen, who led the study, says: “We must interpret these findings with care.” The study has been published in Oct. 27 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Thomsen adds, “Staists have an anti-inflammatory effect, and we have just begun to understand that systemic infections like pneumonia cause inflammation can possibly trigger many adverse reactions in human bodies.”