A new, small study funded by the maker of Viagra, the blockbuster anti-impotence pill, has found the drug appears to be safe in men with existing heart disease. Dr. Howard C. Herrmann and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia studied the heart rate, blood flow, blood pressure and other vital signs in 14 men, average age 61, before and after they ingested Viagra. All study participants had heart disease, showed severe narrowing of the arteries, and were referred to the hospital for angioplasty. The team reports that Viagra is safe for men with heart disease who are not taking medications containing nitrates (which have been linked to Viagra-related deaths). However, Dr. Herrmann points out this study did not look at whether Viagra and sexual activity are safe for men with unstable angina, who have had a heart attack, or have congestive heart failure.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: The New England Journal of Medicine, June 1, 2000
