When people think about taking Viagra, they do so only thinking about the sexual sphere, however Recent studies have shown that this drug could have effects related to mental health.
Men with erectile dysfunction are the main consumers of this pill, since it relaxes the blood vessels, allowing blood flow to the penis to increase, achieving an erection.
A scientific study linked the consumption of the pill, known pharmacologically as sildenafil, with dementia preventiona product of increased blood flow.
What is dementia?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dementia is defined as “the result of various diseases and injuries that affect the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is its most common form and can represent between 60% and 70% of cases.
“Over time destroy nerve cells and damage the brain, which generally leads to the deterioration of cognitive function, beyond what could be considered a usual consequence of biological aging,” they point out from the organization.
In March 2023, the figures indicated that More than 55 million people have dementia worldwide.
Risk factors and symptoms
As indicated by the WHO, the risk factor’s that increase the possibility of suffering from this syndrome are:
- Age (usually adults over 65 years of age suffer from it)
- Arterial hypertension
- Diabetes
- Excess weight or obesity
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Physical inactivity
- Social isolation
- Depression
As for the symptomsthe organization points out the following:
- Forgetting recent things or events.
- Lose or misplace things.
- Getting lost while walking or driving.
- Feeling out of place, even in familiar places.
- Lose track of time.
- Difficulties solving problems or making decisions.
- Trouble following conversations or finding the right words.
- Difficulty performing usual tasks.
- Calculation errors when visually judging how far away objects are.
- Feelings of anxiety, sadness or anger due to memory loss.
- Changes in personality.
- Misconduct.
- Give up work or social activities.
- Loss of interest in other people’s emotions.
Viagra and dementia
A study from the University of Oxford interviewed 75 people who had suffered a minor stroke and showed signs of mild to moderate small vessel disease, as this could be considered an early symptom of dementia.
For three weeks and randomly, study participants took sildenafil, a placebo, and cilostazol. The latter is a medication indicated for patients with leg pain that worsens when walking and is caused by narrowing of blood vessels, as explained by MedlinePlus.
The great discovery of the research was that ““Viagra increased blood flow in large and small cerebral vessels,” suggesting that it improved cerebrovascular function, reports Daily Mail.
“This is the first trial to show that sildenafil reaches the blood vessels in the brain of people with this condition (dementia), improving blood flow and the response of these vessels. These two key factors are associated with chronic damage to the small blood vessels in the brain, which It is the most common cause of vascular dementia.”commented Dr. Alastair Webb, neurologist and author of the research.
