Monday, January 28, 2008

Viagra’s other benefits.

Viagra is now being used to treat not only erectile dysfunction (ED) but also pulmonary hypertension. And the drug may have potential for treating several other conditions, reports the August 2007 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch.

The three ED medications currently on the market—Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis—all work by the same means, and they have similar side effects. The most common are headaches and facial flushing, which occur in 15% of men. Other reactions include nasal congestion, indigestion, and back pain. These side effects are mild and temporary. The most important worry about ED pills is their ability to widen arteries enough to lower blood pressure. And men who are taking nitrates should never use any of the ED pills.

Although some of the drugs’ side effects may be troublesome, others may be helpful, and scientists are studying whether ED pills might help treat a variety of nonsexual problems. Viagra (sildenafil) has been on the market longest and is most studied. It’s yet not clear if the other ED pills offer similar benefits, but Viagra, at least, may prove useful for some other conditions, including these:

Pulmonary hypertension: Viagra is now marketed under the name Revatio for this uncommon but serious disorder of high pressure in the blood vessels leading to the lungs.

Mountain sickness: Viagra can reduce pulmonary artery pressure at high altitude and improve the ability to exercise in low oxygen conditions.

Raynaud’s phenomenon: In affected individuals, exposure to the cold triggers spasm of the small arteries that supply blood to the fingers, toes, or both, which become pale, cold, and painful. Both Viagra and Levitra have been helpful in clinical trials.

Heart disease: Studies suggest Viagra might help patients with congestive heart failure or diastolic dysfunction.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Testosterone and memory

Testosterone may improve mental function, from the Harvard Men’s Health Watch

When we think about the powers of testosterone, we usually do not consider mental processes. However, research suggests that testosterone levels may affect men’s cognitive performance, reports the January 2008 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch.

All the body’s attributes change with age, and mental functions are no exception. Memory is the most fragile mental function. With age, new learning is slower, new information is processed less carefully, and details often slip. These changes give rise to the “senior moment” in healthy elders and to cognitive impairment and dementia in others.

Testosterone levels decline with age, just when memory begins to slow. Might falling hormone levels account for some of the problem? Perhaps, says Harvard Men’s Health Watch. The data are far from conclusive, but studies have found some connections. For instance, higher testosterone levels in midlife have been linked to better preservation of tissue in some parts of the brain. And in older men, higher testosterone levels have been associated with better performance on cognitive tests.

If higher testosterone levels are associated with better mental function, do treatments that reduce testosterone lead to cognitive decline? Three studies linked impaired performance on cognitive tests with androgen deprivation therapy, which is sometimes used in treating prostate cancer. However, the effects were modest and certainly should not deter men from receiving this treatment if needed.

This research also raises the question of whether testosterone therapy might improve mental function in healthy older men, or even in those with cognitive impairment. Only a few small, short-term studies have examined this, and some have reported subtle improvements on cognitive tests. However, high testosterone levels may have harmful effects as well. Harvard Men’s Health Watch suggests that until more research findings are available, men should not use testosterone or any other androgen to improve mental function.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Viagra's Other Uses

Viagra is now being used to treat not only erectile dysfunction (ED) but also pulmonary hypertension. And the drug may have potential for treating several other conditions, according to a recent report. The three ED medications currently on the market—Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis—all work by the same means, and they have similar side effects.

The most common are headaches and facial flushing, which occur in 15% of men. Other reactions include nasal congestion, indigestion, and back pain. These side effects are mild and temporary. The most important worry about ED pills is their ability to widen arteries enough to lower blood pressure. And men who are taking nitrates should never use any of the ED pills.

Although some of the drugs’ side effects may be troublesome, others may be helpful, and scientists are studying whether ED pills might help treat a variety of nonsexual problems. Viagra (sildenafil) has been on the market longest and is most studied. It’s yet not clear if the other ED pills offer similar benefits, but Viagra, at least, may prove useful for some other conditions, including these:

Pulmonary hypertension

Viagra is now marketed under the name Revatio for this uncommon but serious disorder of high pressure in the blood vessels
leading to the lungs.

Mountain sickness

Viagra can reduce pulmonary artery pressure at high altitude and improve the ability to exercise in low oxygen conditions.

Raynaud’s phenomenon

In affected individuals, exposure to the cold triggers spasm of the small arteries that supply blood to the fingers, toes, or both, which become pale, cold, and painful. Both Viagra and Levitra have been helpful in clinical trials.

Heart disease

Studies suggest Viagra might help patients with congestive heart failure or diastolic dysfunction.

Further details are published in the August 2007 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch.