Ukmedix has already reported on the study undertaken by a heart specialist at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine which shows how the Viagra drug can limit the effects of the hormones that cause stress in the heart. Despite this research the Viagra drug still is not prescribed for heart conditions and much more research must be done before it can be. This research was conducted on 35 normal male and female participants who were first given a drug known as dobutamine that mimicked the effect of the naturally occuring hormone called adrenalin so that they would get hearts that were pumping harder and faster.

After half an hour the 35 participants were split in 2 groups and half were given Viagra and the other half a placebo pill and for the sake of medical accuracy the doctors as well as the participants were not told who got the Viagra and who got the placebo. Another half hour later all the participants were given more dobutamine and it was noted that the hearts of participants with the Viagra had a lower increase in contractions compared to those that used the placebo. The researchers suggested that the Viagra drug functioned like a brake on the cardio function and this could be very useful for patients with heart problems.

The chemical sildenafil citrate found in Viagra works a number of chemical reactions that cause the blood vessels inside the penis to dilate and the research being done with Viagra now shows that it has a similar effect on the heart and lungs too. Researchers also note that over the long term the use of Viagra can reduce the thickness of the heart muscle that is a side effect of long term elevated blood pressure levels. This conditions is known as cardiac hypertrophy.

The number of calls from scientists and research institutes for money to be spent on heart related Viagra research is growing and in decades to come it may be seen that Viagra will be known more as a heart drug than as an erectile dysfunction medication and could be a big money spinner as two and a half million Americans suffer from cardio problems.