Statins may keep asthma patients out of ER

Source: Agencies | March 15, 2009, Sunday |

Print Edition

ASTHMA sufferers taking statins in addition to their regular medicine required significantly fewer trips to the hospital, according to a study that suggests another benefit of the widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Among adults on inhaled corticosteroids in the 6,574-patient study, those also taking statins reduced their chances of an asthma-related hospitalization or emergency room visit by 33 percent, according to data presented at the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology meeting in Washington yesterday.

The study was conducted by researchers from Medco Health Solutions Inc and Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital.

"The implications of this study are exciting because they point to the potential role statins could play in helping prevent the most serious asthma attacks that land patients in the hospital," Dr Robert Epstein, Medco's chief medical officer, said. "There has been heightened interest in how the anti-inflammatory power of statins might benefit asthma patients."

But he cautioned that the findings are preliminary and will need more clinical studies.

Statins, including Pfizer Inc's Lipitor, lower levels of bad LDL cholesterol in the blood and have been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. They have also demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties that could play a role in helping with asthma and other diseases.

A recent study of AstraZeneca Plc's powerful statin Crestor showed it dramatically reduced incidence of heart attack, stroke and death after just two years in patients with healthy cholesterol levels but increased C-reactive protein, an indicator of arterial inflammation.

Other studies have suggested statins may reduce the risk of dying from pneumonia or developing dangerous blood clots and the possibility of protecting against Alzheimer's disease.

If the asthma results pan out, statins could eventually help to further cut health care costs.

Asthma is caused by inflammation and swelling of the airways and constriction of the muscles of the bronchial passages.

There are half a million asthma-related hospitalizations and 217,000 emergency room visits in the United States each year. US hospital care costs for the chronic respiratory disease reached US$4.7 billion in 2007, according to Medco.

World

About Us
|
Terms of Use
|
RSS
|
Privacy Policy
|
Contact Us
|
Shanghai Call Center: 962288
|
Tip-off hotline: 52920043

沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
|
互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
|
网络视听许可证：0909346
|
广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
|
增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012

Statins may keep asthma patients out of ER

Email this to your friend