After analyzing more than 1,600 patient records, the authors found that patients suffering from ischemic strokes who received statin drugs had their risk of infection cut by 58 percent, according to a paper published in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases.
“The administration of statins relative to infection is critically important,” Doug Weeks, PhD, lead author of the study, said in a statement. “We’ve been able to establish that if statins are given early, before infection can occur, the risk of infection is substantially reduced.”
About a third of stroke patients contract infections, according to the authors. The researchers attribute the link to statins’ anti-inflammatory properties, even though they are generally administered to control cholesterol levels and reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Weeks and his co-authors note that timing of administration was an important factor, and patients who took statins earlier in their stay had a lower risk of infection.
The authors conclude that correlation is strong, but needs to be explicitly tested in placebo-controlled studies.
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