- Researchers report that statins appear to significantly lower the risk of death from COVID-19.
- They say the cholesterol-lowering drugs may do this by reducing inflammation and lowering blood pressure.
- An estimated 35 million people in the United States take statins.
While it’s been established that the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 work well and are safe, there is still much we don’t know about the novel coronavirus itself.
Scientists continue to explore the potential harms of COVID-19 to the body and study ways to prevent people from getting seriously ill or dying from the disease.
In a new
Statins are widely prescribed drugs commonly used to reduce blood cholesterol levels by blocking liver enzymes responsible for making cholesterol.
Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 93 percent of people who use a cholesterol-lowering drug use a statin.
The new findings expand on previous research conducted at UC San Diego Health in 2020.
Dr. Lori Daniels, the lead author of the study, is a professor and director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at UCSD Health.
She told Healthline that there was speculation about certain medications that affect the body’s ACE2 receptor in the early days of the pandemic, including statins, and whether they could influence COVID-19 risk.
She said the findings of the study were clear.
“The bottom line is that if you have underlying heart disease, you should be on a statin if your doctor says you should, but now you have another good reason. It will lower your risk of dying from COVID-19 by as much as 40 percent,” Daniels said.
Researchers said there are several reasons statins may help reduce COVID-19’s severity.
Among them are that statins can reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, and help stabilize other underlying conditions that can raise the risk of serious illness from COVID-19.
Source: healthline