Statins and pneumonia: Data from clinical studies

Abstract

Aim: We reviewed the current literature in respect of the role of statin treatment as an adjunctive therapy in pneumonia. Methods: Data for this review were identified through searches of PubMed and from bibliographies of relevant articles. The search was limited to publications in English and French. Results: Statins present immunomodulatory properties. This has led to the hypothesis that statins might have the ability either to reduce the incidence of pneumonia or to improve the outcome of patients with pneumonia. Many observational retrospective and prospective studies have recently addressed this question. There is an increasing body of evidence suggesting that statins may be beneficial in pneumonia, although negative data have been also provided. However, data from randomized studies are very limited. Conclusion: Treatment with statins may be beneficial in patients with pneumonia but data from large randomized studies are still needed to confirm it. © 2013 Société de réanimation de langue française (SRLF) and Springer-Verlag France.