Influenza (the 'flu') is a common virus infecting approximately 5-20% of the population in the United States and causing as many as 500,000 deaths worldwide each year. Currently, there are only a few treatments for influenza infection and none of these target inflammation that can be caused by the virus. This study will test whether the anti-inflammatory effects of statins, a class of drugs most often used to treat high cholesterol, will decrease the severity of illness in patients who are infected with influenza by testing markers of inflammation in the blood and recording resolution of influenza illness.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
116
The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Change in Inflammatory Markers From Time Zero to 72 Hours
The primary IL- 6 measurements were at time zero and at 72 hours. Analysis was performed using a linear mixed effects model to make use of all biomarker timepoints as hospitalized patients had biomarkers measured at additional timepoints.
Time frame: Baseline to 72 hours
Severity of Illness Score Baseline to 72 Hours
Composite score for 5 major symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, headache, myalgia) ranked from 0 to 3 (none, mild, moderate, severe) for a score ranging from 0 to 15. Higher scores reflect more severe symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline and 72 hours
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