A large observational investigation published on January 13 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine revealed that men who regularly took a specific type of erectile dysfunction (ED) medication had a 25% lower chance of dying prematurely than men with erectile dysfunction who did not take these pills.
Erectile dysfunction medication use correlates with multiple heart benefits
Researchers analyzed the health records of more than 70,000 men with erectile dysfunction and found that those who were prescribed Viagra (sildenafil), Cialis (tadalafil), Levitra (vardenafil) or similar drugs called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors ) also had:
- 39% lower death rate due to heart disease
- 22% lower death rate due to unstable angina (where the heart doesn’t get enough blood flow and oxygen)
- 17 percent lower rate of heart failure
- 15% lower rate of need for revascularization procedures such as angioplasty (a procedure to open blocked arteries), stent placement, and heart bypass surgery
- 13% lower rate of major adverse cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart attack
“Across all these parameters, men with erectile dysfunction exposed to PDE-5 inhibitors showed significant associations with lower rates of many of these adverse events or trends in the right direction, suggesting a possible protective effect,” says lead researcher Robert Kloner , MD, PhD, director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Huntington Medical Research in Pasadena, Calif., and professor of medicine in the cardiovascular division of the Keck School of Medicine at USC.
While research demonstrates a link between PDE-5 inhibitors and cardiac benefit, the authors emphasize that the results do not prove that these drugs cause an improvement in heart health. Large-scale clinical trials would be needed to establish this cause-and-effect relationship.
New study is more comprehensive than previous research
Previous research has suggested that PDE-5 inhibitors can improve heart health. Some previous studies, according to Dr. Kloner, looked at subsets of patients, such as those with diabetes and previous heart attacks.
The new study was distinctive in that it looked at a very large dataset from a general population of men with erectile dysfunction in the United States. The analysis also took into account most cardiovascular crises, including death from cardiovascular causes (unstable angina, heart failure, stroke, heart attack, need for coronary revascularization) and death from any cause.
Unlike previous studies, the current research found that subjects who received the highest doses of erectile dysfunction medications had significantly lower rates of cardiovascular crises than those who received the lowest doses.
The average age of the men in the study was 52 years old, and each was diagnosed with erectile dysfunction between 2006 and 2020.
Medications for erectile dysfunction can improve the ability of blood vessels to dilate, giving relief to the heart
Kloner says that PDE-5 inhibitors have been shown to improve the ability of blood vessels to dilate and improve the function of the inner lining of blood vessels.
“The small drop in blood pressure associated with these drugs could have protective effects over time and take some of the workload off the heart and reduce the tendency to develop atherosclerosis,” says Kloner, referring to plaque buildup in arteries. “There are some studies suggesting that [the drugs] may have antiplatelet effects, which may help prevent blood clots.”
He adds that some research suggests these drugs may also protect heart cells from low coronary flow or reduce inflammation.
Because PDE-5 inhibitors are commonly used to treat pulmonary hypertension in men and women, Kloner would like to see future research evaluating these drugs in women and men without erectile dysfunction.