They link Viagra and other drugs that treat erectile dysfunction in men to a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
‘Viagra(sildenafil) and others. drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction in mencalled phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, are associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. These conclusions were reached by an observational study conducted by scientists from the United Kingdom, in which almost 270,000 men were diagnosed with erectile dysfunction, and published in the journal Neurology.
sexual dysfunction that affects one in five men in Spain being a dysfunction or sexual problem is more common among them. It can appear at any time in life (it’s not just a matter of age), and it’s important to treat it not only to improve a man’s quality of life and sexual performance, but also because it can sometimes hide underlying cardiovascular disease.
The results of this study, conducted by University College London, are linked to the fact that drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction, so-called phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, among which Sildenafil (Viagra) It is the best known, with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease that affects more than 900,000 people in Spain.
Specifically, the researchers explained, it was concluded that men who took medications to treat this sexual problem, erectile dysfunction, were 18% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. However, the investigation, as experts note, does not show that these drugs reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.but only shows the association.
Limitations of the study
Thus, and as explained Ivan Koychev, Principal Clinical Investigator and Neuropsychiatrist at Dementia Platform UK and the University of Oxford, UK to a Spanish agency SMK Spainthis study demonstrates “an association between prescription of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors and a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease in men.”
“The risk appears to be dose dependent, i.e. The risk reduction is greater the more appointments there are. It is also more pronounced in people with risk factors for cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure, diabetes), suggesting that the effect may be due to neuroprotection through vascular mechanisms,” he adds.
However, as this researcher adds, the study is limited by the “problem of establishing cause-and-effect relationships in epidemiological studies” and because “this type of medication is usually taken according to needstherefore, it is difficult to know how much was actually taken and how often,” explains the researcher.
Similarly, Koychev argues that the link to Alzheimer’s disease in particular is “controversial” since “it is known that a significant proportion of dementia cases are clinically diagnosed as true additional or alternative Alzheimer’s pathologies.”
However, as Koichev concludes in his statements, “this significant progress, because repurposing existing drugs to prevent dementia is a promising strategy for preventing the development of dementia”; although to determine its usefulness in preventing dementia, “clinical trials would need to be conducted in which these drugs would be given to people at risk instead of a pacifier.” “Blinding these studies (ensuring that neither patients nor researchers know what they are being given) will be limited given the physiological effects of the drugs.”