GETTY Viagra could dramatically slash your risk of a heart attack

Trials have already established that the famous blue pill’s main ingredient helps those with damaged hearts by boosting blood flow. But now a new study by the Centre for Cardiac Research at the University of Manchester has shown that cells from a failing heart actually survive for longer when they are given a Viagra-like drug which is normally used to treat impotence in men.

It works by blocking an enzyme called PDE5 which controls blood vessels and the way in which the muscle cells of the heart handle calcium.

Heart failure is a devastating condition Lead researcher Professor Andrew Trafford

The Manchester team, which is being funded by the British Heart Foundation, is now looking to confirm whether the same drug can also prevent abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) which are responsible for killing up to half of heart failure patients. The same group have also studied how Viagra use in diabetic patients alters their risk of having a heart attack. The results of the study - which will be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal BMJ Heart - on 6,000 male diabetic patients in Cheshire who had been prescribed Viagra for erectile dysfunction found they had a much lower risk of suffering a heart attack or dying from heart failure than those who were not taking the drug.

Lead researcher Professor Andrew Trafford described the latest findings as ‘incredibly exciting’. He said: “Heart failure is a devastating condition which means your heart is not pumping blood around your body as well as it used to. It can really impact a person’s quality of life and currently the outlook for patients with heart failure is grim - worse than that of some cancers. “Our studies have shown that drugs normally used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction such as Viagra, actually have a very pronounced effect in slowing the progression of heart failure as well as reducing the likelihood of fatal arrhythmias.

GETTY Patients treated with Viagra for erectile dysfunction are far less likely to die from heart attacks

He added: “We have recently established that patients who receive Viagra or similar drugs for erectile dysfunction are also far less likely to then go on and die from a heart attack.” It comes as news of women suffering with varicose veins on their vaginas has been revealed. It is now hoped that the findings will pave the way for future clinical trials in patients with heart failure or at risk of heart attacks such as those with Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome (a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity). Earlier research published in the journal BMC Medicine in 2014 showed how Viagra (also known as sidenfil citrate) could help to prevent the heart increasing in size and changing shape in patients with a condition called left ventricular hypertrophy.

GETTY The drug is able to block enzyme PDE5 which controls blood vessels

Heart failure is most commonly caused by a heart attack which causes damage to the heart that can never be repaired. It means the heart fails to pump blood around the body efficiently. Symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath and swelling. In severe cases people with heart failure are unable to perform regular day-to-day activities such as walking upstairs or are left breathless, even when resting. Up to a third of patients admitted to hospital with heart failure will die within 12 months. Although there is medication to manage the condition and control symptoms, there is currently no cure and those with severe heart failure will eventually need a heart transplant to extend their lives. Those with mild or moderate heart failure may be able to live a normal life with tablets.

GETTY It is hoped the findings will lead to more trials for patients with Type 2 diabetes

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