A new study from the researchers of Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, has found that Viagra could increase life expectancy and reduce the risk of having a new heart attack in men with stable coronary artery disease (CAD).
The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (ACC).
Cardiologist Dr. Michael Goyfman of Northwell Health told Healthline, “Coronary artery disease refers to blockages that develop in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. As the arteries narrow, less blood gets to parts of the heart and patients may feel symptoms, particularly with exertion.”
“A sudden occlusion of a coronary artery leading to damage of the heart muscle is a heart attack,” added Dr. Goyfman, who was not part of the study.
Erectile Dysfunction (ED), also called impotence, can be an early warning sign of cardiovascular disease in otherwise healthy men, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
Typically, most doctors advise PDE5 inhibitors (PDE5i), such as Viagra (sildenafil), Cialis (tadalafil), or Levitra (vardenafil) that are to be taken orally. These drugs work by inhibiting the enzyme called phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) to increase blood supply to the penile organ, promoting an erection.
The researchers of the study compared the effects of these oral ED drugs in men with stable CAD.
Lead author Dr. Martin Holzmann said, “The risk of a new heart attack is greatest during the first 6 months, after which we consider the coronary artery disease to be stable.”
The researchers found that the men who were given PDE5 inhibitors lived longer and had a lower risk of “new heart attack, heart failure, balloon dilation, and bypass surgery,” according to Healthline.
Dr. Goyfman told Healthline, “We showed in 2017, in a paper in Heart, [that we found] a longer life span for men with a recent MI [myocardial infarction] who were taking PDE5i. There is one study on patients with diabetes with similar findings.”
“In addition, in the general population it has been found that men who use PDE5i have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease,” he added.
“PDE5i are known to cause a decrease in systemic blood pressure,” Dr. Goyfman continued. “And since high blood pressure is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, it is theoretically possible that patients with PDE5i would have lower, or better controlled, blood pressures.”
The new study was observational so the researchers could not prove that it was Viagra causing health benefits. They said further studies are is needed.
Some experts say that Viagra reduces high blood pressure, which is one of the strong risk factors for heart disease. This could be the reason why the study showed the heart benefits after using Viagra. The article was originally published on Healthline.
