A STATIN TOO FAR

PEOPLE admitted to hospital with pneumonia or a urinary tract infection are 40 per cent more likely to have a heart attack within the following eight years, according to a major study — their stroke risk increases, too.

Now, researchers from the University of Birmingham are suggesting doctors give these patients statins, which have an anti-inflammatory effect, to cut that risk. These drugs are an important tool for preventing heart attacks and strokes in those who are most vulnerable.

But to routinely give them to the 900,000 people admitted to hospital with chest or urinary tract infections every year is a step too far, and could create more problems than it solves.