Sixty seconds on . . . Viagra and Alzheimer’s disease

What’s up?A study1 by researchers from University College London has reported that men and other people who take phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) such as sildenafil (Viagra) for erectile dysfunction have an 18% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.Miracle pill?Viagra—now globally recognisable in its distinctive blue pill form—was discovered accidentally in the late 1980s when researchers were looking at possible treatments for high blood pressure and angina. The latest research, published in Neurology, opens up the possibility for yet another unexpected benefit.Hard evidence?Researchers analysed prescription records of 269 725 men over 40 who were diagnosed with erectile dysfunction between 2000 and 2017. In five years of follow up, 1119 were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In those who were prescribed PDE5Is, 749 developed Alzheimer’s, a rate of 8.1 (95% confidence interval 7.5 to 8.7) cases per 10 000 person years, compared with 370 cases in the control group, a rate of…
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