Those who take Viagra are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. A possible link between the little blue pill used for erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension and dementia had already emerged in several studies. Now further research also tells us the percentages, underlining that those who take it regularly have a lower risk of falling ill with the most widespread form of dementia.
Twenty years ago the era of Viagra began, 65 million prescriptions worldwide by VALERIA PINI 28 March 2018 In men treated with Sildenafil, the probability of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s compared to the general population drops by almost a fifth, by 18% . And to think that that drug was initially formulated to combat hypertension and angina: the greater flow of blood to the male sexual organ triggered by vasodilation was initially considered an unwanted side effect, and then became the primary indication for treatment. Now, due to the very nature of the drug, and due to its long list of circulatory side effects, it will be impossible to prescribe it preventively as a possible anti-Alzheimer’s shield. But the good news is that from this active ingredient it will be possible to test other formulations capable of counteracting the biological changes that promote the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. Alzheimer’s is not just one: 5 different forms discovered by Noemi Penna 19 January 2024
As the authors of the study published on Neurology, journal of the American Academy of Neurology, “our research does not demonstrate that erectile dysfunction drugs reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. It only indicates an association between taking them and less danger of being affected.” But to reach this conclusion, researchers at University College London enrolled 269,725 men with an average age of 59 and a recent diagnosis of erectile dysfunction. The participants, who had no memory problems at the start of the trial, were followed for 5 years. And then comparing the 55% of patients who were prescribed drugs against erectile dysfunction compared to the 45% who did not use them, it emerged that in the first group the diagnosed cases of dementia were decidedly lower: 749 versus 1119. In short: with the Viagra Alzheimer’s cases are 8.1 cases per 10 thousand people per year, without 9.7.
Alzheimer’s as a viral infection? The neurologist Rossini: “It is not a communicable disease” by Irma D’Aria 30 January 2024
From an epidemiological study conducted by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic, published in 2021 on Nature Aging, it emerged that among 1600 drugs already approved in various capacities by the Food and Drug Administration, sildenafil was the one with the greatest number of molecular targets for Alzheimer’s. Then, by comparing the insurance claims data of more than seven million people and their risk of developing Alzheimer’s, a 69% reduction in the risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s emerged after 6 years of follow-up. A very high percentage that had to be verified net of confounding factors, such as age, smoking habits and alcohol consumption. This new research therefore adds a piece, telling us that the association actually exists, even if the cause and effect is not known, the ability to delay the onset of the disease or slow down the most serious symptoms.
Alzheimer’s, the study: “Hope for prevention from Viagra” by Irma D’Aria 06 December 2021
“Although we are making progress against Alzheimer’s with new treatments that aim to eliminate amyloid plaques in the brain in the early stages of the disease, we desperately need therapies that can prevent or delay the development of Alzheimer’s,” he says Ruth Brauer, pharmaco-epidemiologist at University College London, author of the new work. “These results are encouraging and justify further research on the possible protective role of drugs against erectile dysfunction”, and the next step “will be to test them on women too”.
As he explains to Salute the professor Innocent Rainerocoordinator of the Alzheimer Center of the City of Health of Turin, “Sildenafil works by blocking an enzyme, phosphodiesterase type 5, thus triggering the vasodilatory action. Both men and women have this enzyme, so it is more than reasonable to think that the effects could be positive for both sexes.”
Anti-obesity drugs give hope against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by Paolo Travisi 02 February 2024 As we said, the flow of blood into the corpora cavernosa was a side effect of the molecule initially studied and this is why “they have already been created alternative versions of the drug that can be tested on Alzheimer’s”. An experiment in which the Turin Alzheimer Center will also take part. “We have already presented the request to the ethics committee of the City of Health – reveals the neurologist – it will be a multicenter study in which we will enroll both men and women, also taking into consideration all the multifactorial causes of Alzheimer’s, which is not only of a genetic but also environmental nature. The first results could arrive in three years.” So what to expect? “This, like most of the other molecules being examined by researchers, are aimed at slowing down the progression of the disease as much as possible – concludes Rainero -. As we know, neurodegeneration is chronic and therefore being able to intervene early and preserve as many neurons as possible from deposition of the amyloid protein will be increasingly indispensable to improve the quality of life of our patients.” Viagra, the love pill does not go well with heart medications by Valentina Arcovio 15 January 2024