Study finds statins, which lowers cholesterol, could bring down death rate in patients with sepsis

Statins are medications that lower cholesterol levels by blocking an enzyme in the liver that helps produce cholesterol. They are prescribed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke |Image used for representational purpose only
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Statins, which are drugs that help lower ‘bad’ cholesterol, could lower the death rate by nearly 40 per cent for critically ill patients with sepsis, a study has found.

Sepsis, in which the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection with an exaggerated inflammation response, can cause organ damage and be life-threatening.

Statins show promise in reducing sepsis deaths

Statins — mainly used for protecting against cardiovascular disease — are being studied for treating inflammatory disorders. “Statins have anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antioxidative and antithrombotic properties. They may help mitigate excessive inflammatory response, restore endothelial function, and show potential antimicrobial activities,” author Dr Caifeng Li, an associate professor at Tianjin Medical University General Hospital in China, said.

The study’s findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, show for the first time that a supplementary treatment of hospitalised patients having sepsis with statins could boost their chances of survival, the authors said.

“Our large, matched cohort study found that treatment with statins was associated with a 39 per cent lower death rate for critically ill patients with sepsis when measured over 28 days after hospital admission,” Li said.

Promising results and call further research

The study analysed the health records of 265,000 adult patients admitted to the emergency department and the intensive care unit of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Boston between 2008 and 2019. The patients were diagnosed with sepsis and hospitalised for longer than 24 hours.

The authors compared outcomes between patients who received or did not receive statins during their stay, besides standard care.

Results showed that the death rate over a 28-day period was 14.3 per cent in the statin group and 23.4 per cent in the no statin group, indicating a reduction of 39 per cent. “Additionally, statin use was associated with decreased ICU mortality and reduced in-hospital mortality,” the authors wrote.

“These results strongly suggest that statins may provide a protective effect and improve clinical outcomes for patients with sepsis,” Li said. However, clinical trials, including randomised controlled ones, are needed to confirm or reject our results, the author added.