People who have been taking cholesterol-lowering drugs for over a decade seem to enjoy extra protection against infections and lung disease, according to a new analysis.
The findings come from a follow-up study of more than 10,000 people in Britain and Scandinavia who joined a research project in 1998.
The project was halted in 2003 because statins proved so effective. Up to that point half the participants had not been taking statins – but since then almost all have.
But 11 years after the project started, those who were assigned statins in 1998 have proved 14 per cent less likely to die than those who took placebos for five years, researchers said.
This was mainly because of fewer deaths from infection and respiratory illness, they said.
The findings were reported to the European Society of Cardiology conference in Paris, France, and in the European Heart Journal.
Researcher Professor Peter Sever, of Imperial College, London, said the finding was "unexpected".
He said: "The benefits of statins for preventing heart attacks and strokes are well-established, but after long-term follow-up the most significant effects seem to be on deaths from other causes. It’s quite remarkable that there is still this difference between the two groups, eight years after the trial finished.
"Some studies have suggested that statins protect people against death from infectious diseases such as pneumonia. More research is needed to explain how these drugs might have unforeseen actions that prevent deaths from other illnesses."
The Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial: 11 year mortality follow-up of the lipid-lowering arm in the UK. P.S. Sever et al. European Heart Journal, August 28 2011.
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