Men taking Sildenafil(Viagra) are far less likely to suffer a heart attack, new research claims. Men taking the impotence drug were found to have a lower risk of having a heart attack or dying from heart failure than those, not on the medication. The findings mean Sildenafil(Viagra) could soon be used to treat hundreds of thousands of heart failure patients and even prevent fatal heart attacks, scientists say. Experts from the University of Manchester studied 6,000 diabetic patients who had been given Viagra to treat erectile dysfunction. The drug relaxes muscle cells in the blood vessels supplying the penis, allowing more blood to flow there. This increased blood flow increases the likelihood of getting an erection. Despite diabetics being prone to heart problems, the study participants did not suffer as many incidents as similar patients, not on the drug. Professor Andrew Trafford said, Our studies have shown that drugs normally used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, such as Sildenafil(Viagra) actually have a very pronounced effect in slowing the progression of heart failure as well as reducing the likelihood of fatal arrhythmias. We have recently established that patients who receive Viagra or similar drugs for erectile dysfunction are also far less likely to then go on and die from a heart attack.’ the BMJ journal Heart
