Statins may have a powerful protective effect against Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection, according to a major European study.
A case-control study of nearly 30,000 people has found that users of the medicine have a 27% lower risk than others of developing the problem.
Spanish and Danish researchers analysed the medical records of patients in Denmark over a 12-year period.
They found some 2,638 instances of community-acquired bacteraemia caused by S. aureus, they report in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
They found the risk of infection reduced with the size of statin dosage – and that the apparent protective effect was strongest among patients with chronic kidney disease and diabetes.
Researcher Dr Jesper Smit, of Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark, said: "Our results indicate that statins may have an important place in the prevention of bloodstream infection caused by S. aureus, which would hold important clinical and public health implications.
“Nevertheless, our observations warrant confirmation in other settings and the biological mechanisms by which statin treatment may protect against this type of infection should be explored further.”
Dr Daniel DeSimone and Dr Christopher DeSimone, from the Mayo Clinic, write in the journal: "This persuasive study should stimulate randomized, placebo-controlled trials examining this effect of statins.
“Such trials in the case of statins are appealing because these drugs are relatively low cost, can easily be matched against a placebo, and would allow for enrolment at the time of an already necessary antibiotic prescription."
Statin Use and Risk of Community-Acquired Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia: A Population-Based Case-Control Study. Mayo Clinic Proceedings October 2017 [abstract]
Leave a Reply