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Viagra could be used on heart and lung patients By Nicole Martin (Filed: 24/07/2001)

VIAGRA, the drug developed to help impotent men, could soon be used to help patients suffering from potentially fatal heart and lung disease, scientists say today.

They found that the drug was effective in treating patients with pulmonary hypertension. This is high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs brought on generally by a shortage of oxygen.

The condition affects about 250,000 people in Britain and can be caused by heart or lung conditions such as emphysema or bronchitis, which restrict the flow of blood through the lungs.

The symptoms can be severely debilitating, limiting a person's ability to exercise or walk even short distances. It can also cause premature death.

Researchers at Hammersmith Hospital, in London, induced pulmonary hypertension in healthy male volunteers by asking them to breathe in a low oxygen atmosphere for 30 minutes. This caused a 56 per cent increase in blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs.

However, when the participants were given sildenafil, the clinical name for Viagra, before taking the test, the pressure in their pulmonary arteries remained almost normal.

Scientists said that they believed that the drug, which increases blood flow to the penis helping impotent men to achieve and sustain an erection, worked by helping the blood vessels in the lungs to relax.

This in turn helped to prevent constriction resulting from a lack of oxygen.

Writing in the journal Circulation, Prof Martin Wilkins, who led the team, says: "This is an important observation which coupled with isolated case reports suggests that sildenafil may be a useful treatment for pulmonary hypertension.

"It must be stressed, however, that controlled studies in patients with the condition are necessary before it is used in this way."

Prof Sir Charles George, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Pulmonary hypertension is relatively common in people with chronic lung disorders and also for some types of heart disease.

"As well as being life-threatening it is highly debilitating because oxygen needs to be administered continuously. This exciting research points the way to a new treatment option for these patients and merits further investigation."

-- Anonymous, July 24, 2001