The Downside of Statin Use

Although several studies have shown that statin drugs can be useful in reducing abnormally high treatment-related cholesterol and triglyceride levels in HIVers, clinicians from the University of Miami have warned that the medications might have adverse effects on immune system functioning. They wrote in a letter to the editor in the August 1 edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes that statins could lead to decreases in the body's production of such beneficial immune system compounds as interleukin-2 and interferon gamma, while boosting immune cell'damaging interleukins and tumor necrosis factor. 'Whether these translate into significant clinical interaction is uncertain,' the researchers write.