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Viagra heart problem treatment
Added: (Tue Mar 21 2006)
A drug with the same active ingredient as Viagra is to be offered to patients suffering from a rare, life-threatening condition.
People with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) could be offered a new treatment, Revatio, with the same active ingredient, sildenafil citrate, as Viagra.
Sufferers of PAH have increased pressure in the blood vessel that leads from the heart to the lungs, leaving them with debilitating symptoms, such as breathlessness, fainting, chest pains and tiredness.
A clinical development programme undertaken by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer showed giving sildenafil citrate reduces blood pressure in the artery and improves the ability of PAH patients to exercise. There are around 4,000 people with a probable diagnosis of PAH in the UK with around 4,000 believed to be undiagnosed.
The Revatio tablet is white and round to distinguish it from the Viagra blue diamond shaped tablet for erectile dysfunction. The launch of the new treatment comes after a series of research findings showing Viagra could be effective for other medical problems in addition to impotence. Research published last month showed Viagra could be of help in treating the inflammatory bowel disorder Crohn's disease.
The drug also reduces the harmful effect of stress on the heart, research has shown, and could be used to treat people with enlarged hearts - a condition known as hypertrophy.