Can Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Help Cure Dementia?

Erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra were originally designed to help patients with coronary heart disease. Though the drugs did little for men with angina and high blood pressure, the sexual side effects were consistent enough to rebrand the drug, called sildenafil citrate, as a cure for erectile dysfunction.

Now a new team of researchers in the United Kingdom is teaming up with the Alzheimer’s Society and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation to study whether or not tadalafil, a drug similar to sildenafil, could combat vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia. The study is being led by Dr. Atticus Hainsworth at St George’s, University of London, and is already in clinical trials involving 24 people in London. The results are expected soon.

Vascular dementia vs. Alzheimer’s

People who do not work in the medical field tend to refer to all forms of dementia as Alzheimer’s, but vascular dementia is a different disease altogether. While the causes of Alzheimer’s are not always clear, vascular dementia is the result of damage to the small blood vessels in the brain, which can reduce the flow of blood into the tissue. According to the Mayo Clinic, the causes can include:

• Conditions such as diabetes or lupus
• Inflammation of the blood vessels in the head and brain
• High blood pressure
• Strokes
• Hardening arteries
• Hemorrhaging in the brain, cause by a traumatic brain injury
• Aging

Should the trial prove successful at “help[ing] blood get to the brain, the researchers are due to launch a second trial which will test whether it improves cognition.” After that, the team will likely need to go through separate steps for FDA approval. Those steps will be well-worth it, though, if tadalafil can help people with vascular dementia, or prevent the onset of vascular dementia.

There is still a lot of work to be done, but hopes are high. At Gainsberg Injury and Accident Lawyers, we support any efforts to help people who are suffering from illness like dementia, or from serious brain injuries. After all, if the drug is successful in increasing blood flow, the possibilities may be endless for other TBI sufferers.

If you have sustained a traumatic brain injury, or have been hurt by someone else’s negligence, Gainsberg Injury and Accident Lawyers can help. Our Chicago TBI attorneys will fight for you and your future. To schedule a free initial consultation at our office, please call 312.548.9019, or fill out our contact form.