Will the effectiveness of the Flu vaccine be reduced by the use of Statins?

A recently published study (Macintyre et al, 2021), looked at the effects of statin use on the risk of flu infection and flu vaccine effectiveness, comparing the rate of infection in those who were taking statins with those who were not. The vaccine was found to be highly effective in both statin users and non-users. However they also found that statin use may increase the risk of influenza.

It is important for people on statins to have their flu vaccine.

It is widely accepted that the flu virus can worsen existing health conditions, one of which is cardiovascular disease. There is evidence to suggest that heart attacks happen more often during or immediately after an acute inflammatory illness, such as flu. Some studies have suggested that flu vaccination lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke and death from a cardiovascular event in people who have heart disease (For further information click here). However, more studies are needed to confirm these findings.