Are erectile dysfunction drugs the key to ending Alzheimer’s disease? The science isn’t quite there yet, but it’s clear that research is now focusing on this potential pathway. After considering Viagra as a potential treatment from 2021, scientists see it as a preventive measure, believing that it can significantly reduce the risk of developing the disease.
According to data presented by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2023, more than 55 million people worldwide suffer from some form of dementia, with up to 10 million new cases each year.
The health authority states that Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause and “there is no cure for dementia”. But that doesn’t stop scientists from exploring all avenues to curb this health, social and economic burden. The latest findings concern the role that erectile dysfunction drugs, such as Viagra, may play in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
“Although we are making progress with new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease that clear amyloid plaques from people’s brains in the early stages of the disease, we desperately need treatments that can prevent or delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease”,University College London (UCL) researcher Ruth Brower explains in a press release. And it is on the drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction that the authors of this work have focused here.
Their research was based on data from 269,725 men with an average age of 59 who had received a positive diagnosis for erectile dysfunction. Participants who had no memory or thinking problems at the start of the study were followed for an average of five years, and 1,119 of them developed the disease, the scientists said. ‘Alzheimer’ In total, 55% of participants had a prescription for erectile dysfunction drugs, and 45% did not.
What the study says
Published in the journal Neurology, the work suggests a link between taking drugs for erectile dysfunction and a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, after taking into account multiple factors that may influence the results, such as age, smoking and alcohol consumption. It revealed that people who took this type of treatment had an 18% lower risk of developing the disease, compared to those who did not take it, but also that the link was stronger among those who were prescribed the highest number of prescriptions. During the study.
“Further research is needed to confirm these findings, learn more about the potential benefits and mechanisms of these drugs, and investigate optimal doses. Randomized, controlled trials with male and female participants are needed to determine whether these findings also apply to women.” .“, concludes the lead author of this work, Ruth Brauer.
This is not the first time that Viagra has been the subject of this type of research. In the fall of 2023, researchers at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York had already indicated that taking this type of drug made it possible to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 60%, following the work conducted with more than 27,000 people.
