One of the worlds most famous drug classes may have another trick up its sleeve.
Sildenafil and similar drugs are called phosphodiesterase punch in 5 inhibitors, or PDE5Is.
And thus the little blue pill was born.
Though sildenafil is now widely available as a generic, it’s still commonly associated with the brand name Viagra that it was first sold under.Photo: Peter Dazeley (Getty Images)
While these drugs are synonymous with ED, they are taken for other indications as well.
Several are approved to treat pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure in the arteries of the lung.
And scientists have been studying them for other medical uses, in bothhumansandanimals.
The most intriguing possibility for these drugs might be in their potential against Alzheimers, though.
So things like smoking or BMI, but also information on socioeconomic status.
They then tracked the outcomes of these two groups for five years on average.
By the end of the study period, 1,119 people overall had been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease.
Importantly, neither Brauers study nor any other to date provides conclusive evidence that PDE5Is can stop Alzheimers.
Ideally, this trial would study both men and women diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, she adds.
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