Statins in sepsis and acute lung injury

Abstract

Severe sepsis is a common cause of critical illness and death on the intensive care unit (ICU). It is estimated that severe sepsis accounts for more than 9% of all annual deaths in the United States, comparable to the figure for myocardial infarction. Interestingly, recent human studies suggested that 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors or statins, widely used in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis, have some protective effects in bacteremia, sepsis, and related problems, independent of their cholesterol-lowering effects [1]-[17]. The growing body of evidence gives rise to the question of whether statins have a role in established sepsis as an adjuvant therapy, in the primary prevention of sepsis or both, and what the mechanisms of action are. © 2007 Springer Science + Business Media Inc.