Men who take Viagra were found to have a lower risk of heart attack occurrences or dying due to heart failure. Viagra can soon be known not only to save sex lives but lives in general.
Research from the University of Manchester observed 6,000 diabetic patients who were given Viagra as treatment for erectile dysfunction. The findings show that drugs normally used for erectile dysfunction can have a pronounced effect in slowing the progression of heart failure and reducing the risk of fatal arrhythmias, according to Professor Andrew Trafford, lead author of the study.
The findings show that the impotence drug can be used to treat thousands of patients with heart problems. The drug could also help prevent heart attacks from happening.
Since the drug relaxes muscle cells in the blood vessels towards the penis, more blood is allowed to flow. Consequently, more blood flow to the penis increases the likelihood of getting an erection. Similarly, the key ingredient in Viagra known as PDE5i not only relaxes blood vessels but also prevent damage caused to heart cells.
Professor Trafford explains that heart failure is a devastating condition, which means that the heart is not pumping blood to other body parts as well as it used to. He explains that heart failure can affect a person's quality of life.
Heart failure often occurs when the organ fails to pump enough blood at the right pressure. Often times, heart failures are due to weak or stiff heart muscles, according to Daily Mail.
Viagra was first created as a pill to treat heart condition angina due to dilated vessels around the heart. While the results were not ideal, doctors noticed an extraordinary side effect of improved erections. Consequently, the focus of the drug shifted from being healthy for the heart to being healthy for the bedroom.
During the first decade after its approval, Viagra became one of the most commercially successful drugs in the world, according to Bio Med Central. More than 35 million people have taken more than 1.8 billion pills and the number continues to grow.
Furthermore, Professor Trafford and his team are hoping that Viagra can also prevent arrhythmias also known as abnormal heart rhythms. Arrhythmias are responsible for killing nearly half of patients with heart failure.
