According to a recent Study Finds article, Viagra may do more than just treat erectile dysfunction in men. Scientists at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet conducted a study to examine how the drug affects men who have survived a heart attack. Results showed that taking the pill actually prolongs their life, and the more often they use it, the lower their risk of another heart attack.
The link lies in the fact that impotence can be an early marker of cardiovascular disease in otherwise healthy men. Impotence is usually treated locally with alprostadil, which dilates the blood vessels in the penis so that it can stiffen, or with PDE5 inhibitors like Viagra or Cialis that decrease blood pressure.
