Viagra raises new hope

[robinK]

Dear lisa
i was wondring if u guys can look in to this


Viagra raises new hope





WASHINGTON - The impotence drug Viagra may also aid in the treatment of enlarged hearts caused by high blood pressure, tests on animals indicate.
Plans are underway for a study to determine if similar results occur in humans, who will be given the drug widely used to treat erectile dysfunction.

The drug, known generically as sildenafil citrate, blocked and even reversed some of the heart enlargement in mice with blood pressure stress, said researchers led by Dr. David Kass of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

"A larger-than-normal heart is a serious medical condition, known as hypertrophy, and is a common feature of heart failure that can be fatal," Kass said.

He said the findings "suggest possible therapies in the future, including sildenafil, which has the added benefit of already being studied as safe and effective for another medical condition" - male sexual dysfunction.

The report, posted yesterday in the online edition of Nature Medicine, came as no surprise to Dr. William White, head of the hypertension section of the University of Connecticut Health Center.

White, who was not part of Kass' research team, noted that sildenafil originally was discovered by researchers studying blood pressure and heart disease.


The Associated Press



Originally published on January 24, 2005


i saw this artical in daily news in new york today

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/274344p-234822c.html

[Reenie]

I'm sure others will put their thoughts forward soon, but I'm skeptical about the use of viagra in HCM. The hypertrophy I think they're talking about is the type you get from overuse of the muscle, like when you have high blood pressure and the heart has to pump harder to make the blood move. Viagra works by dilating blood vessels, which isn't a good thing for HCM'ers. Many HCM'ers don't have high blood pressure to start with and when you dilate the vessels, the pressure will drop even more, leaving you will less blood to fill the chambers. We'll have to see how this pans out.

Reenie

[Lisa Salberg]

NO VIAGRA IS NOT GOOD FOR HCM!

Lets look at the Physician Desk Reference - the PDR

1. while taking viagra ' the systolic and diastolic blood pressures drop by 7-10 %
2. Cardiac output decreases by up to 28%
3. "there is a potential for cardiac risk of sexual activity in patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease."
4. "Viagra has systemic vasodilatory properties that result in transient decreases in supine blood pressure"
5. "caution in patients with previous MI, life threatening arrhythmia within the previous 6 months. Patients with resting hypotensive b/p's, patients with cardiac failure causing unstable angina "
6. Under adverse reactions - "AV block, syncope, tachacardia, palpitations, ischemia, heart failure, cardiac arrest, abnormal ECG and cardiomyopathy"

Need I say more?

We are not patients with hypertension that caused our hypertrophy we have a genetic condition that has caused hypertrophy.

Please stay away from this drug.

Sincerely,
Lisa