Do Statins Affect Viral Infections Encountered by International Travelers?
Statins are among the most frequently prescribed medications. In addition to their well-established effectiveness in lowering total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides, statins have been described to have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties and have been associated with improved endoth...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/3/73 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849339604649377792 |
|---|---|
| author | Chinmay T. Jani Christian Mouchati Nour Abdallah Ruchi Jani Loukas Kakoullis Lin H. Chen |
| author_facet | Chinmay T. Jani Christian Mouchati Nour Abdallah Ruchi Jani Loukas Kakoullis Lin H. Chen |
| author_sort | Chinmay T. Jani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Statins are among the most frequently prescribed medications. In addition to their well-established effectiveness in lowering total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides, statins have been described to have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties and have been associated with improved endothelial functions. Given the common use of statins, we sought to evaluate the effect of statins on some viral infections encountered by residents in tropical areas or by international travelers. A literature search was performed in PubMED/MEDLINE focusing on keywords that included statins and the viruses of interest, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, yellow fever, dengue, Zika, tick-borne encephalitis, hemorrhagic fever viruses, hepatitis A, norovirus, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, measles, and herpesviruses; findings were synthesized for each virus into a summary. The effects of statins on viral infections vary depending on the specific virus. While some studies indicate potential benefits in chronic HBV and HCV infections, evidence regarding SARS-CoV-2 and influenza remains inconclusive due to mixed findings from observational studies and randomized controlled trials. The role of statins in other viral infections is largely unexplored, with preclinical data available for only a few viruses. Given the conflicting evidence, further prospective studies and randomized controlled trials are warranted to elucidate statins’ role in viral infections, particularly in modulating inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and immune responses. Future research should aim to define the optimal patient populations, target viruses, statin types, and treatment durations that may confer benefits in specific viral infections. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-01abc19aada84dc09d3bf874ca266ef7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2414-6366 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
| spelling | doaj-art-01abc19aada84dc09d3bf874ca266ef72025-08-20T03:44:05ZengMDPI AGTropical Medicine and Infectious Disease2414-63662025-03-011037310.3390/tropicalmed10030073Do Statins Affect Viral Infections Encountered by International Travelers?Chinmay T. Jani0Christian Mouchati1Nour Abdallah2Ruchi Jani3Loukas Kakoullis4Lin H. Chen5Division of Medical Oncology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USADivision of Neurology, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT 06030, USADepartment of Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT 06030, USADepartment of Medicine, Smt NHL Municipal Medical College, Ahmedabad 380006, Gujarat, IndiaDepartment of Medicine, Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA 02138, USADepartment of Medicine, Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA 02138, USAStatins are among the most frequently prescribed medications. In addition to their well-established effectiveness in lowering total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides, statins have been described to have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties and have been associated with improved endothelial functions. Given the common use of statins, we sought to evaluate the effect of statins on some viral infections encountered by residents in tropical areas or by international travelers. A literature search was performed in PubMED/MEDLINE focusing on keywords that included statins and the viruses of interest, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, yellow fever, dengue, Zika, tick-borne encephalitis, hemorrhagic fever viruses, hepatitis A, norovirus, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, measles, and herpesviruses; findings were synthesized for each virus into a summary. The effects of statins on viral infections vary depending on the specific virus. While some studies indicate potential benefits in chronic HBV and HCV infections, evidence regarding SARS-CoV-2 and influenza remains inconclusive due to mixed findings from observational studies and randomized controlled trials. The role of statins in other viral infections is largely unexplored, with preclinical data available for only a few viruses. Given the conflicting evidence, further prospective studies and randomized controlled trials are warranted to elucidate statins’ role in viral infections, particularly in modulating inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and immune responses. Future research should aim to define the optimal patient populations, target viruses, statin types, and treatment durations that may confer benefits in specific viral infections.https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/3/73immunomodulationstatinCOVID-19influenzaflavivirusEbola |
| spellingShingle | Chinmay T. Jani Christian Mouchati Nour Abdallah Ruchi Jani Loukas Kakoullis Lin H. Chen Do Statins Affect Viral Infections Encountered by International Travelers? Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease immunomodulation statin COVID-19 influenza flavivirus Ebola |
| title | Do Statins Affect Viral Infections Encountered by International Travelers? |
| title_full | Do Statins Affect Viral Infections Encountered by International Travelers? |
| title_fullStr | Do Statins Affect Viral Infections Encountered by International Travelers? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do Statins Affect Viral Infections Encountered by International Travelers? |
| title_short | Do Statins Affect Viral Infections Encountered by International Travelers? |
| title_sort | do statins affect viral infections encountered by international travelers |
| topic | immunomodulation statin COVID-19 influenza flavivirus Ebola |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/3/73 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chinmaytjani dostatinsaffectviralinfectionsencounteredbyinternationaltravelers AT christianmouchati dostatinsaffectviralinfectionsencounteredbyinternationaltravelers AT nourabdallah dostatinsaffectviralinfectionsencounteredbyinternationaltravelers AT ruchijani dostatinsaffectviralinfectionsencounteredbyinternationaltravelers AT loukaskakoullis dostatinsaffectviralinfectionsencounteredbyinternationaltravelers AT linhchen dostatinsaffectviralinfectionsencounteredbyinternationaltravelers |