It was a surprising discovery.
Statins, widely known for their cholesterol-lowering effects, may offer a surprising additional benefit—improving survival rates in sepsis patients, according to a new study. Researchers found that critically ill individuals with sepsis who received statins alongside standard treatments such as antibiotics and intravenous fluids were significantly less likely to die within 28 days of hospital admission.
The study, published June 5 in Frontiers in Immunology, revealed a 39% reduction in the 28-day mortality rate for sepsis patients who received statins. Lead author Dr. Caifeng Li, of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital in China, emphasized that these findings highlight statins’ potential to aid beyond heart health, especially in emergency infections like sepsis, where the body’s overwhelming immune response can cause organ failure.
In the U.S., sepsis affects around 750,000 people annually, with nearly 27% succumbing to the condition. In more severe cases like septic shock, where blood pressure drops to dangerously low levels, the mortality rate can climb as high as 40%. Statins, which are commonly used to manage cholesterol, also possess anti-inflammatory properties, help regulate the immune system, and reduce blood clotting—all of which may be beneficial in treating sepsis.
The study analyzed the medical records of over 265,000 patients with sepsis who were treated at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston from 2008 to 2019. Of these, researchers closely compared 6,070 patients who received statins to 6,070 who did not. They found that patients treated with statins had a significantly lower death rate, although they were also more likely to require longer use of ventilators or dialysis due to complications like respiratory or kidney failure.
Despite the promising findings, researchers cautioned that this study was observational and cannot establish a definitive cause-and-effect relationship. Dr. Li noted that previous clinical trials might have failed to detect statins’ benefits in sepsis due to limitations such as small sample sizes or inadequate data. She recommended that future large-scale clinical trials examine specific statin types, dosages, and timing to better understand their potential role in sepsis treatment.
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