Highlights:- Patients who
had heart attacks often suffer from impotence/erectile dysfunction
- Drugs for erectile
dysfunction such as sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil can lower the
blood pressure in heart disease patients who take nitrates
- Erectile
dysfunction drugs may be safe and even beneficial in heart attack patients
Treatment
with the erectile dysfunction drugs like
sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil may reduce
the risk of death or hospitalization following a heart attack. A study
indicating the same was published in the BMJ
Heart and is being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th
Annual Scientific Session in Washington.
Impotence or erectile dysfunction can have a major
psychological impact on the patient. The introduction of the drug sildenafil
was a major breakthrough in its treatment. Sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil
belong to a group of drugs called phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors. They
relax blood vessels and increase blood supply to the penis, resulting in an
erection. The pills have the ability to reduce blood pressure excessively and
their use is not advised in heart patients who take nitrates like isosorbide
nitrate for angina or
heart attack.
‘Impotence drugs could possibly be safe in patients who have suffered a heart attack.’
Erectile dysfunction
often precedes heart disease. The research team
analyzed medical reports of patients from the Swedish national
database of health records who received treatment for erectile dysfunction
following their first heart attack. Most patients (92%) received a
phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor while around 8% received alprostadil, a
prostaglandin analogue also used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. The
records were assessed for a period of 3.3 years. They found that:
- Those who
received PDE5 inhibitors were 38% less likely to die as compared to those
taking alprostadil or no erectile dysfunction drugs
- The benefit was
greater in those who filled more prescriptions for PDE5 inhibitors
- Men who took
either PDE5 inhibitors or alprostadil were 40 percent less likely to
undergo hospitalization for heart failure as compared to those who did not
take any medication for erectile dysfunction
- The intake of
these medications did not affect the risk of suffering from another heart
attack or undergoing a procedure like cardiac bypass or angiography
This study suggests that
drugs like sildenafil are safe and may, in fact, benefit people with a heart
disease, with subsequent hospitalization and death.
The
study authors, however, admit to some limitations to the study, which
includes:
- It is possible
that those who wanted treatment for erectile dysfunction were healthier
and therefore had lesser mortality
- The better heart
health in those taking erectile dysfunction drugs could be due to a more
active sex life, rather than due to the medications
- Various factors
like marital status and household income were not taken into
consideration, which could affect the outcome of the study
Therefore,
currently, the results of the study should also be viewed with caution. The
safety of these drugs in heart attack patients is still not clear. A larger
study could help to establish the benefits of these medications, if any, in
patients with heart diseases.
References:- "Association between Erectile Dysfunction and Death or Cardiovascular Outcomes after Myocardial Infarction," on Friday, March 17, at 1:30 p.m. ET at Poster Hall C at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session in Washington.
- Andersson DP, Lagerros YT, Grotta A, Bellocco R, Lehtihet M, Holzmann MJ. Association between treatment for erectile dysfunction and death or cardiovascular outcomes after myocardial infarction.
Source-Medindia