Viagra May Help Ward Off Dementia by Improving Blood Flow to Brain, Study Suggests

Scientists were able to find that Viagra could help prevent dementia.

The typical erectile dysfunction treatment could potentially help ward off dementia by improving blood flow to the brain.

Dementia

More than five million Americans who are more than 65 years old struggle with dementia. The neurodegenerative condition may come in various forms and is marked by an impaired capacity to think, remember, and decide.

Symptoms of dementia trigger a decline in cognitive abilities. This reaches the point where it is severe enough to impair independent function and daily life. This may also affect feelings, behavior, and relationships.

Roughly 60% to 80% of dementia cases are cases of Alzheimer's disease, making it the most common dementia form.

However, around 10% of dementia cases have been associated with strokes and brain blood flow issues. Such a form of the disease is known as vascular dementia.

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes are all considered risk factors.

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Viagra as Potential Dementia Treatment

As for Viagra, a new study shows that it could help boost blood flow to the brain.

Viagra is the commercial label for sildenafil, which is typically used for erectile dysfunction treatment by boosting blood flow to the penis.

Alastair Webb, the first author of the study and an associate professor from Oxford University's Wolfson Center for Prevention of Stroke and Dementia, noted that this trial is the first to reveal that sildenafil enters blood vessels in the brains of individuals who have this condition. The compound could help improve blood flow and the responsiveness of the blood vessels.

Such key factors are linked to chronic damage in the brain's small blood vessels, which is the most prevalent vascular dementia cause.

As part of the "Cerebrovascular Effects of Sildenafil in Small Vessel Disease: The OxHARP Trial" study, the colleagues of Webb discovered that, among a cohort comprising 75 patients, Viagra boosted the flow of blood into the small and large vessels of the brain.

The study's key findings also include how sildenafil enhanced the response of blood flow to CO2, implying a boosted cerebrovascular function. Moreover, the study also observed that both sildenafil and cilostazol reduced the resistance of blood vessels in the brain.

Sildenafil was also observed to yield fewer side effects in comparison to cilostazol. It most notably yielded a lower diarrhea incidence.

Webb explained that this shows how the widely available and well-tolerated drug could have the potential for dementia prevention. However, further testing in larger trials is necessary.

The team is hopeful to have their findings replicated in trials on a larger scale in order to examine the potential of the compounds in a broader application.

Peter Rothwell, a clinical neurology professor from the University of Oxford and the Founding Director of the center, explained that the findings are quite encouraging and stress the potential of using current drugs to prevent vascular dementia. These drugs mainly aim at the underlying flow reduction in the brain's small vessels.