According to a study from the United States, Viagra may be a useful treatment method against Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of cognitive decline syndrome, affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
Despite its prevalence, there is currently no effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
Viagra is well-known for its role in treating erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic, a non-profit academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio, studied over 1,600 drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to identify the best candidates for treating Alzheimer’s.
According to Dr. Feixiong Cheng, the lead researcher, Sildenafil has been shown to significantly improve cognition and memory. Viagra is the brand name for Sildenafil, which is famous for its use in treating erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension.
The scientists compared the results of Sildenafil users with non-users in a database of 7 million people.
Over a 6-year follow-up period, they found that Sildenafil users had a 69% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to non-users. This finding was published in the journal Nature Aging.
Dr. Cheng cautioned that the study does not prove a causal relationship between Sildenafil and Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Ivan Koychev, a senior clinical researcher at the University of Oxford, described this finding as “interesting.”
“While this data is scientifically intriguing, it should not lead to a rush to use Sildenafil as a preventive measure for Alzheimer’s disease,” said Professor Tara Spiers-Jones, deputy director of the Centre for Brain Science at the University of Edinburgh (UK).
