Most of the widespread knowledge about drugs like Viagra, Levitra and Cialis, which are based on variants of PDE-5 inhibitors, is focused on their ability to induce more vigorous and sustained erections in men suffering erectile dysfunction (ED). A quick search in Google for “PDE-5 harder longer” shows thirty-three million matches! But now research is beginning to show that a whole different context can relate to “PDE-5 longer”, which is how PDE-5 inhibitors can boost heart health, leading to longer life, not just longer erections.
The information comes from an in-depth analysis of data published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, titled “Effect of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors on major adverse cardiovascular events and overall mortality in a large nationwide cohort of men with erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular risk factors: A retrospective, observational study based on healthcare claims and national death index data”.
Wait! Before this scientific gobbledegook deters you from reading further, we can put it in much simpler terms, along the lines of “Do the popular treatments for men with ED have any effect on their heart health”?
The main features of the study:
The information comes from an in-depth analysis of data published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, titled “Effect of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors on major adverse cardiovascular events and overall mortality in a large nationwide cohort of men with erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular risk factors: A retrospective, observational study based on healthcare claims and national death index data”.
Wait! Before this scientific gobbledegook deters you from reading further, we can put it in much simpler terms, along the lines of “Do the popular treatments for men with ED have any effect on their heart health”?
The main features of the study:
- The objective was to determine the effect of PDE-5 inhibitors (the common ingredient of most ED pills) on the incidence of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) – heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, angina, etc.
- The data was drawn from a US claims database that yielded over seventy thousand men diagnosed with ED who had no prior history of MACE
- The study compared two large cohorts of men – those reporting ED who had received PDE-5 inhibitor medication, and a parallel control group of roughly the same average age who had not been medicated with PDE-5 despite having symptoms of ED
- The outcome of the study was that PDE-5 inhibitors may have cardioprotective effects
- The degree of protection was proportionate to the dosage.
Why was a new study of ED meds and heart health necessary?
Prior studies had looked at correlations between PDE-5 inhibitors and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes, but they primarily looked at the negative side. In other words, could taking ED medications increase the risk of any primary adverse CV outcomes, including CV death, myocardial infarction hospitalization, coronary revascularization, heart failure, stroke, and unstable angina pectoris? Past studies aimed to find reductions in adverse CV outcomes. In most of them, the sample populations were mainly men with both ED and some pre-existing CV condition. The unique aspect of the new study was that it excluded any men with a history of any identified CV conditions. So the focus is then much clearer. Can PDE-5 inhibitors have a beneficial effect by reducing the risk of cardiovascular incidents in healthy men? And the answer is … Yes! Key findings:- 13% reduction in the rate of major cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart attack
- 15% reduction in the need for procedures to open up blocked arteries (angioplasty, stenting, or bypass)
- 17% reduction in the rate of heart failure
- 22% reduction in the death rate due to unstable angina
- 39% lower death rate due to heart disease
