THE IMPACT OF ADJUVANT ATORVASTATIN THERAPY ON PNEUMONIA OUTCOME: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF CLINICAL AND INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES IN RELATION TO MORTALITY REDUCTION

Abstract

Introduction: pneumonia is still among the top three killers worldwide, new drug classes other than antibiotics are under investigations for more than 50 years, statins with their anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anti-oxidant effects may be a promising target in this paradigm. Objective: to determine whether or not. adjuvant atorvastatin could improve the outcomes of pneumonia Patients and methods: sixty pneumonia patients admitted to ain shams university hospitals were randomized into either ; statin naive n=30 (received antibiotics according to the egyptian scientific society of bronchology (ESSB) guidelines), and statin users n=30 (received antibiotics according to ESSB guidelines + atorvastatin 40mg once daily for 30 days). total leukocytic count (TLC), C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured, with estimation of pneumonia severity index (PSI) on the 1st day of diagnosis, and repeated on the 7th day, length of hospital stay and mortality were also recorded. Results: statin users showed statistically significant more reduction of CRP (p 0.038), with significantly shorter hospital stay (p < 0.001). no difference in reduction magnitude of TLC (p 0.217) or PSI (p 0.325), and finally no difference in mortality on comparing the two groups. Conclusion: incorporating atorvastatin therapy with antibiotics in the treatment of pneumonia resulted in significantly lower CRP levels that were well-reflected by shorter hospital stay when compared to antibiotics alone.