worth trying in human muscular dystrophy patients

Using the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra could help men and women suffering from weak hearts as a result of muscular dystrophy according to new research. Testing done on lab mice that were genetically engineered so that they suffered from a condition which was similar to Duchenne muscular dystrophy were seen to experience positive results when using the Viagra.

Professor Joseph Beavoa from the University of Washington who led the research with the cooperation the University of North Carolina said that they were not quite sure why the Viagra was helping the lab mice but because of the positive results they said it was definitely worth trying in human muscular dystrophy patients.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is described as an eventually fatal progressive genetic illness which causes muscle degeneration. More men than women get it and around one man in 3,500 men suffers from it. People who suffer from Duchenne muscular dystrophy often die from a failure of the heart muscle and most of them die before they reach the age of forty.

This is not the 1st time that research has been done with erectile dysfunction drugs on muscular dystrophy patients, and Ukmedix News has previously reported on other research done that shows that Cialis could also help them.

What was particularly interesting about this new Viagra research is that not only did the Viagra slow down the damage but in some cases actually reversed it meaning that it could possibly be used as part of the cure for muscular dystrophy and not just purely as a way to slow down its effect. The researchers said that the application of Viagra and other PDE5 inhibitors like Cialis and Levitra could be used along with with existing treatments to help muscular dystrophy sufferers.

The research was published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.