Your cholesterol drug might help you weather the flu

Data suggest illness is less likely to be fatal in those taking statins

PHILADELPHIA — Statin drugs, prescribed to keep high cholesterol in check, may also offer partial protection against the ravages of influenza, a study suggests.

A team of researchers reviewed the records of roughly 2,800 patients age 18 or older from 10 states who came down with laboratory-confirmed flu during the 2007–2008 flu season.