- Medications to treat erectile dysfunction that contain phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE-5i) have wider health benefits in men with type 2 diabetes and/ or known heart conditions.
- PDE-5i drugs include sildenafil, vardenafil, and tadalafil.
- New research now shows that PDE-5i treatment for erectile dysfunction is linked to a significant reduction in the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events and death in healthy men.
Doctors often treat erectile dysfunction (ED) by prescribing drugs containing
Lack of PDE-5 increases the amount of cyclic guanosine monosulphate — a molecule that promotes the relaxation of smooth muscles in the artery walls leading to vasodilation, increased blood flow, and improved circulation.
PDE-5i drugs
Studies on the wider impact of PDE-5i have shown that it has renoprotective (kidney protective) benefits, that it improves endothelial cell function, and reduces age-related mortality in people with type 2 diabetes.
Treatment for ED with PDE-5i after a first heart attack has also been linked to a
Separate
Until now the majority of studies have involved men with known heart conditions or type 2 diabetes. Now, new collaborative research between Huntington Medical Research Institutes and the University of California has shown thatPDE-5i may also have cardioprotective effects in healthy men.
The study appears in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
The retrospective observational study lasted for 14 years and included 72,498 men, with a diagnosis…
Read the full article here