'Statins protect children with sickle cell disease'

Washington, Jan 20 (ANI): Statins, generally used for lowering cholesterol levels, have also been found effective in protecting children with sickle disease, say researchers.

Children with sickle cell disease have a much greater risk of developing a potentially fatal infection with pneumococcal bacteria.

According to Elaine Tuomanen, at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, statins may reduce the susceptibility of children with sickle cell disease to invasive pneumococcal infection.

In the study, when sickle cell-disease mice were treated with statin before being infected with pneumococcal bacteria they lived for much longer than did infected, untreated sickle cell-disease mice.

Further analysis showed that statins reduced bacterial invasion into the blood system and they prevented cells being killed by the bacterial toxins. (ANI)