For years, scientists have been searching for effective medications to treat Alzheimer’s disease with little success. However, an unexpected contender has emerged: Viagra, a pill typically used for erectile dysfunction.

A study showed that men who were given Viagra and similar drugs had an 18% lower risk of developing the most prevalent type of dementia compared to those who did not take the medication.

The impact was most prominent among men who had the highest number of prescriptions. Researchers discovered a 44% reduced likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease in those who were prescribed 21 to 50 erectile dysfunction pills during the duration of the study.

Although the results are remarkable, the observational research cannot establish if Viagra and similar medications offer protection against Alzheimer’s or if men who are already less susceptible to the condition are more inclined to take the pills.

Dr. Ruth Brauer, the lead author from University College London, stated that while the drugs cannot be directly blamed, this information does prompt us to consider how we approach the future. She emphasized the need for a thorough clinical trial to examine the impact of these drugs on both men and women with Alzheimer’s.

Brauer and her team examined the medical records of over 260,000 men who had been diagnosed with erectile dysfunction, but did not have any indications of memory or cognitive issues.

More than 50% of the participants were prescribed PDE5 inhibitor medications, such as sildenafil (commonly known as Viagra), avanafil, vardenafil, and tadalafil. The subjects were monitored for an average of five years to document any instances of newly diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease.

There are approximately 55 million individuals worldwide who are currently living with dementia, a majority of which can be attributed to Alzheimer’s disease. While new medications that eliminate abnormal proteins in the brain have demonstrated potential for slowing the progression of the disease, their impact seems to be minimal.

Originally created to alleviate angina and hypertension, Viagra’s potential for treating erectile dysfunction was discovered when Welsh miners from Merthyr Tydfil reported experiencing unexpected nighttime results during a trial. This led to the drug becoming a hugely profitable treatment for erectile dysfunction, generating billions of dollars in revenue.

PDE5 inhibitors function by easing the constriction of blood vessels, enabling smoother circulation. Animal research has demonstrated that this can enhance blood flow in the brain, potentially serving as a safeguard against Alzheimer’s disease. Additional studies have revealed that PDE5 inhibitors increase levels of cGMP, a substance that may also aid in shielding brain cells.

The journal Neurology has published alternative explanations for the findings.

Because the information is not recorded reliably in medical records, the researchers were unable to account for differing levels of physical and sexual activity among the men. It may be that the most physically and sexually active men, who had a low risk of developing Alzheimer’s, were most likely to use Viagra or similar pills.

Research conducted on the effects of Viagra on Alzheimer’s disease has yielded conflicting results. A recent study from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio showed a 69% decrease in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s among those who use Viagra. However, a separate study from Harvard in the same year found no evidence of a protective effect in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

If PDE5 inhibitors indeed offer protection against Alzheimer’s, it is likely that they would be effective for both men and women. Brauer suggested that conducting a trial with a diverse population would be highly beneficial.

Dr. Ivan Koychev, a senior clinical researcher at the University of Oxford, stated that this is a noteworthy advancement. Utilizing drugs that are already in existence for the purpose of preventing dementia shows promise in halting the development of the condition.

However, he cautioned that conducting a blinded placebo-controlled trial, in which both doctors and patients are unaware of who is receiving the actual treatment, would be challenging due to the noticeable effects of the drugs.

Dr. Leah Mursaleen, the head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, stated that creating medications for Alzheimer’s disease is an expensive and lengthy process.

She stated that utilizing drugs that are already approved for other medical purposes could speed up advancements and provide new possibilities for preventing or treating diseases that cause dementia.

According to Dr. Madhav Thambisetty, a lead researcher at the US National Institute on Aging, their 2021 research did not show any protective benefits of using Viagra. He also stated that there is a possibility of unmeasured variables, such as sleep quality and diabetes management, that could lead to inaccurate findings.

The plausibility of sildenafil, a drug typically used on an as-needed basis for patients with erectile dysfunction, being able to affect the progression of a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease was also called into question.

The speaker questioned whether the levels of sildenafil in the brain can remain sufficiently high for a prolonged period of time to potentially impact the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, despite its ability to reach the brain through the bloodstream.

It is crucial to ponder upon this issue for medications such as sildenafil which are taken on an as-needed basis, as opposed to medications that are taken daily or multiple times a day for an extended period.

Source: theguardian.com