Regular use of statins reduces the risk of severe Covid-19 or death

Statins, a widely prescribed class of anti-high cholesterol drugs, may reduce the risk of severe Covid-19 and death from it, according to new US scientific research, one of the most comprehensive on the issue.

The study highlights statins as an additional treatment option against it coronavirus infection.

The researchers, led by professor of anesthesiology and intensive care Ettore Crimi University of Central Florida in Orlandowho made the announcement at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiology in New Orleans, analyzed the medical records of nearly 39,900 patients who had been hospitalized for Covid-19 in 185 US hospitals.

Of these, almost one in three (30%) took statins on a regular basis.

It found that statin users had a 37% lower risk of dying from Covid-19 than those who did not take any statins.

In addition, the former were significantly less likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) due to severe illness due to the coronavirus or to develop dangerous blood clots. They also had, on average, less need to stay on a ventilator and shorter hospital stays.

“Although there is no ‘magic’ solution to help patients with severe Covid-19 disease, statins reduce inflammation, which may help reduce the severity of the disease. The findings of our study clearly showed that regular use of statins is associated with a reduced risk of death and a better outcome of hospitalized patients with Covid-19,” said Dr Krimi.

While Covid-19 itself causes inflammation, in some cases the patient’s immune system creates further inflammation as it reacts too aggressively to the coronavirus infection. This overreaction causes great damage to the body, including severe shortness of breath and damage to the lungs, kidneys, heart, brain and vascular system.

The anti-inflammatory effect of statins moderates this body’s overreaction process, so the disease does not develop as severe, according to the researchers.

“New research shows the importance of repurposing drugs that were intended for another use. The results of our study suggest that statins could be an additional low-cost solution against severe Covid-19 disease and should therefore be studied further,” Crimi said.

In the US, about one in four people over the age of 40 take statins to lower their cholesterol and, by extension, their risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.

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