Viagra Could be Used for Heart Disease Patients
Viagra - the drug - famous for erection-boosting properties could be used to treat heart diseases after it was found to improve the function of blood vessels, reveal researchers.
As it is already on the market, the researchers said that it could be used for the purpose without more ado but said larger trials would be beneficial.
Researchers from Sapienza University of Rome studied animal researches involving Viagra and carried out a new study involving 1,622 people with heart disease.
Lead author of the study, Andrea Isidori said, "We found that the main ingredient in Viagra can be used as an effective, safe treatment for several patients with heart disease. Large clinical trials are now urgently needed to build on these encouraging findings."
Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor (PDE5i) is the key ingredient in most erection-boosting drugs including Viagra. Phosphodiesterase-5 obstructs the enzyme PDE5, which prevents relaxation of smooth muscle tissue.
The study explains that PDE5i prevented the heart increasing in size and changing shape in patients suffering from left ventricular hypertrophy, a condition which causes thickening of the ventricular walls (lower chambers) in the heart.
It also enhanced heart performance in patients with different heart conditions without hazardous side effects such as raising blood pressure.
Maureen Talbot, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said, "Often in medications which are used to cure one ailment can have side effects that make it an helpful treatment for other diseases. This study suggests Viagra has the ability to be put to another use - treating early stage heart failure. But we shouldn't get too excited too quickly. Before it could be recommended to heart patients, large randomised controlled trials are needed on both men and women to support these findings."
The results were published in the journal BioMed Central Medicine.
Heart Disease Statistics
Cardiovascular Diseases are the number one cause of death globally: more people die annually from the disease than from any other cause.
The number of people who die from cardiovascular diseases, mainly from heart disease and stroke, will go up to reach 23.3 million by 2030.
Over 80% of CVD deaths take place in low-and middle-income countries: It occurs almost equally in men and women.
Heart Disease Prevention
� Exercise regularly
� Don't smoke
� Know your blood pressure and keep it under control
� Get tested for diabetes and if you have it, keep it under control.
� Know your cholesterol and triglyceride levels and keep them under control
� Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables
� Maintain a healthy weight
Source: Medindia
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