An assessment of the effect of statin use on the incidence of acute respiratory infections in England during winters 1998-1999 to 2005-2006

D. M. Fleming, Neville Verlander, Alex Elliot, Hongxin Zhao, D. Gelb, D. Jehring, J. S. Nguyen-Van-Tam

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Statins reduce cardiovascular mortality and related risks associated with pneumonia suggesting potentially beneficial use in influenza pandemics. We investigated the effect of current statin use on acute respiratory infections in primary care. Data from anonymized electronic medical records of persons aged ≥45 years were examined for statin use, chronic morbidity, respiratory diagnoses, vaccination procedures, and immune suppression. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for statin users vs. non-users in respiratory infection outcomes. A total of 329 881 person-year observations included 18% statin users and 46% influenza vaccinees. Adjusted ORs for statin users vs. non-users were: influenza-like illness, 105 (95% CI 092-120); acute bronchitis, 108 (95% CI 101-115); pneumonia, 091 (95% CI 073-113); all acute respiratory infections, 103 (95% CI 098-107); and urinary tract infections, 091 (95% CI 085-098). We found no benefit in respiratory infection outcomes attributable to statin use, although uniformly higher ORs in non-vaccinated statin users might suggest synergism between statins and influenza vaccination.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1281-1288
Number of pages8
JournalEpidemiology and Infection
Volume138
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2010

Keywords

  • Acute respiratory infections
  • infectious disease control
  • influenza
  • statins

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