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Year
2007 |
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Now Viagra can fight danger of premature births
April 18, 2007
The impotence drug Viagra is being used in a clinical
trial to reduce premature births by helping babies stay longer in
the womb. Mums-to-be whose babies have growth-restriction problems
- a condition affecting one in 12 births in the UK - are being given
the drug in a new trial.
The aim is to increase blood supply to the womb and placenta so
that more nutrients and oxygen reach the foetus. This helps it to
continue growing in the womb, avoiding the health problems that
result from premature birth.
"If it works, it will be exciting and beneficial for babies
affected by growth restriction for whom we currently have no good
treatments," says Dr Jenny Myers, obstetrician and clinical
lecturer at St Mary's Hospital, which is linked to the University
of Manchester.
Foetal growth restriction is the medical term for a baby inside
the womb being smaller than expected for the number of weeks of
pregnancy. This may be caused by the mother having high blood pressure,
advanced diabetes or heart disease. Smoking and alcohol intake are
also factors.
Viagra - commonly used to treat
erectile dysfunction in men - works by increasing blood flow.
Laboratory research in Manchester showed that when the drug was
added to tissue samples taken from pregnant women with foetal growth
problems, it relaxed the blood vessels, allowing more blood flow.
In the clinical trial in Haifa, Israel, 20 women are being given
Viagra to see if it has a similar effect. Each woman will get a
25mg tablet and will be monitored for the following 24 hours.
If no significant sideeffects are recorded, the treatment will
be repeated 48 hours later with a 50mg dose. Dr Myers said that
even a few weeks longer in the womb would make a huge difference
to the health of the baby. "The biggest problem with foetal
growth restriction is that it can result in premature babies.
"With Viagra, we may be able to prolong the pregnancy and
allow the baby to mature in the womb, rather than having to deliver
very prematurely.
"If we can get another three or four weeks out of that pregnancy,
the baby has a much better outcome when it is born.
"There is a massive difference between being born at 25 weeks
and at 30 weeks."
Viagra, and drugs like it, are involved in an increasing number
of trials for new uses. The most common side-effects
of Viagra in men are headaches, flushes and stomach upsets.
Less commonly, blurred vision or sensitivity to light may occur
briefly.
In rare instances, men taking oral erectile dysfunction medicines,
including Viagra, have reported a sudden decrease or loss of vision.
Maker Pfizer says it is unknown whether these events are related
directly to the drugs or to other factors.
Source : Daily Mail
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