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Statins and outcomes of hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed 2017–2018 influenza

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Abstract

No studies evaluating the association between statins and outcomes of patients with seasonal influenza have been performed since the 2007–2008 and the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza seasons. All consecutive hospitalized patients between October 2017 and April 2018, diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed influenza A and B virus, were included. Patients were divided into two groups: statin and non-statin users. Outcomes were 30- and 90-day mortality, complications (pneumonia, myocarditis, encephalitis, intensive care unit (ICU) transfer, mechanical ventilation, vasopressor support), length of hospital stay, and readmission rates. A multivariate analysis was performed to adjust for mortality risk factors. To compare the groups, we matched patients to the nearest neighbor propensity score. Of the 526 patients ill with influenza A (201/526) and B (325/526), 36% (188/526) were statin users; 64% (338/526) were not. Statin users were older (78 vs.70; p = < 0.05) and suffered from more comorbidities (Charlson comorbidity scores of 6 vs.4; p < 0.005). The 30-day mortality rate among statin vs. non-statin users was 6% vs. 8% (p = 0.3). On multivariate analysis, statin use was not associated with mortality benefit (OR = 0.67 (0.29–1.36)). After propensity score matching, the results were unchanged (OR = 0.71 (0.29–1.71)). Statin users were diagnosed with less complicated diseases as they were less likely to receive vasopressor support, mechanical ventilation, and/or transfer to the ICU. Although statin users were significantly older and exhibited more comorbidities, 30-day mortality rates did not differ between statin users and non-users, which may signify a protective role of statins on seasonal influenza patients. Further studies performed during different influenza seasons and different subtypes are essential.

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Contributors

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Alaa Atamna, Tanya Babich, and Mayaan Bracha. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Alaa Atamna and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Infectious Disease Unit, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, 49100, Petah Tikva, Israel

    Alaa Atamna & Jihad Bishara

  2. Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Alaa Atamna, Tanya Babitch, Mayaan Bracha, Avishay Elis, Jihad Bishara & Tomer Avni

  3. Internal Medicine Department E, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petah Tikva, Israel

    Tanya Babitch & Tomer Avni

  4. Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petah Tikva, Israel

    Nadav Sorek & Ben-Zvi Haim

  5. Internal Medicine Department C, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petah Tikva, Israel

    Avishay Elis

Authors
  1. Alaa Atamna
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  2. Tanya Babitch
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  3. Mayaan Bracha
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  4. Nadav Sorek
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  5. Ben-Zvi Haim
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  7. Jihad Bishara
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  8. Tomer Avni
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Correspondence to Alaa Atamna.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee (Ethics Committee of the Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel, RMC-18-0297) and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was waived because of the retrospective, non-interventional nature of the study.

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Atamna, A., Babitch, T., Bracha, M. et al. Statins and outcomes of hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed 2017–2018 influenza. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 38, 2341–2348 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-019-03684-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-019-03684-y

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