People who take impotence drugs may benefit through improved survival after myocardial infarction, according to a new study from Sweden.
The findings come from an analysis in Sweden of 43,000 patients suffering their first MI over a six year period.
This found that those who had been on impotence drugs experienced a 33% lesser risk of death than others.
The researchers say their findings are preliminary and need cautious interpretation – and propose a further study of some 140,000 men with stable coronary artery disease.
The study, at the Karolinska Institutet, was reported in the journal <i>Heart</i> last night.
The findings applied to the PDE-5 inhibitors, the most common impotence drugs.
Researcher Martin Holzmann said: “Our most important finding is that it’s harmless to prescribe these drugs to men following a heart attack and that it may possibly even prolong their lives and protect against heart failure.
“The results also open the way for randomised controlled studies with PDE5 blockers after heart attacks, which may include women as well.”
Association between treatment for erectile dysfunction and death or cardiovascular outcomes after myocardial infarction. Heart 9 March 2017; doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2016-310746
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