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Can Drugs for ED Aid in Alzheimer’s Prevention?

Can Drugs for ED Aid in Alzheimer’s Prevention? in the past year, a number of studies have revealed a decreased risk of dementia in men who take erectile dysfunction medications?

According to a study funded by the National Institute on Aging and released in December 2021, men who took sildenafil (Viagra) had a considerably lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Currently, scientists think that a persistent loss of blood supply to the deep brain region is responsible for the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

PDE5 inhibitors, such as Viagra and Cialis, assist treat erectile dysfunction (ED) by boosting blood flow to the penis. Some researchers have hypothesized that since these drugs increase blood flow, they may also impact brain blood flow and offer some kind of dementia protection.

Recent studies, however, have raised some concerns about the validity of this medicine class’s ability to reduce the incidence of dementia. A National Institutes of Health study’s findings in October 2022 suggested that tadalafil (Cialis) and sildenafil (Viagra) would not be good options for treating dementia.

Three experts in dementia research provide the following explanations of the science: Feixiong Cheng, Ph.D., a researcher at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute; Rishi Desai, Ph.D., an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and Percy Griffin, Ph.D., the Alzheimer’s Association’s director of scientific engagement.

Recent studies, however, have raised some concerns about the validity of this medicine class’s ability to reduce the incidence of dementia. A National Institutes of Health study’s findings in October 2022 suggested that tadalafil (Cialis) and sildenafil (Viagra) would not be good options for treating dementia.

Dr. Desai led the study that found no evidence that Viagra and Cialis lowered the risk of Alzheimer’s or similar dementias.

Q: How do you explain the conflicting results between these two studies?

Desai: The first study compared people who used Viagra for any reason to others who didn’t use it or who used drugs for conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.

It is conceivable to speculate that older men who start using Viagra for ED are more likely to be active and to have better overall health than those who do not. The features of the individuals who took the medicine, not the medication itself, may be one of the explanations explaining the lower incidence of dementia with Viagra in the earlier trial.

In contrast, the participants in our study were all diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), which is a side effect of drugs like Viagra and Cialis. We compared the prevalence of dementia in individuals who used these medications to the prevalence of dementia in those who used a different therapy to treat their PAH, which most likely produced a comparison of more comparable patients.

Cheng: There are a number of explanations that could account for the contradictory findings. As pulmonary hypertension is an uncommon disease with a tiny patient sample size, the population in the Desai trial was substantially smaller.

Based on statistics from the available literature, pulmonary hypertension has very poor prognoses, with a median survival time of only three years. However, it takes 15 to 20 years for Alzheimer’s disease to develop, making it a chronic condition. During this brief three-year follow-up period, the authors of the later study were unable to detect any preventive effects.

The dosage of Viagra recommended for pulmonary hypertension is also considerably lower than the dosage for ED that we examined in our article.

Q: Why are researchers interested in repurposing drugs like this for other therapeutic purposes? Can Drugs for ED Aid in Alzheimer’s Prevention?

More than ever, experts studying Alzheimer’s disease are aware that a number of treatments will be required to effectively treat the condition; these approaches will likely be combined, as we do with heart disease.

Read More:  Can Drugs for ED Aid in Alzheimer’s Prevention?

Cheng: The failure rate of Alzheimer’s clinical trials is above 99 percent, and there are no very effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has approved repurposed medications for use in other indications, and their safety profiles are well-known. If widely used, drug repurposing can greatly shorten the time and expense of therapy development for Alzheimer’s disease and other difficult disorders.

Q: Should researchers keep looking into Viagra and Cialis for dementia prevention? What further study is needed?

The biology of these medications is undoubtedly fascinating, but there hasn’t yet been a strong study including human subjects that shows they have a positive impact.

Griffin: It’s critical to note that these researchers are only association studies based on an analysis of health insurance claims data, and there is currently no available evidence from clinical trials to support the efficacy of Viagra as a treatment for Alzheimer’s.

Q: What is the overall takeaway for people concerned about their dementia risk?

Griffin: Even though this research is not a clinical trial, it can nevertheless be highly helpful. It’s the initial stage in looking for hints that a known medicine might be suitable for use in treating a different ailment. Having said that, it will be crucial to carry out meticulous clinical trials to establish the safety and efficacy of the treatment strategy.\

While you should undoubtedly discuss aging and cognition/memory with your doctor, it would not be proper to request this medication because it has not been studied as a treatment or preventative measure for Alzheimer’s disease. Do not use this medication to treat or prevent Alzheimer’s disease if you are taking it under a doctor’s care or if you have access to it.

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