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Year
2007 |
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Sex drug Viagra now saves lives of newborns with deadly lung disease
January 01, 2006
DOCTORS are saving the lives of desperately ill
newborn babies by giving them the controversial drug Viagra.
Consultants at Yorkhill Children's Hospital in Glasgow are using
the anti-impotence drug as a life-saving treatment for children
suffering from pulmonary hypertension, a cause of so-called "blue
baby" syndrome which affects the blood flow to the lungs.
Doctors claim the drug, which is normally used to treat sexual
dysfunction in adult men, has produced astonishing results in
the youngsters by relieving their potentially fatal condition.
And they now hope that Viagra,
also known as sildenafil, can be
used to treat the hundreds of newborn babies in Scotland who suffer
the illness every year.
But the use of an adult drug in babies has sparked concern from
some in the medical community, who say it is still an experimental
treatment.
Last night, officials at NHS Greater Glasgow confirmed that "a
small number" of infants suffering from pulmonary hypertension
had been given the drug at Yorkhill Hospital while being closely
monitored by medical staff.
A spokeswoman said: "Sildenafil has been given to a small,
selected group of infants under very controlled conditions. They
have been subjected to careful supervision."
An insider added: "It is a difficult decision to give such
young children a drug like Viagra when it is normally used to treat
erectile problems in adults.
"But there have been trials elsewhere that have shown it can
be very effective in treating this condition and so doctors chose
to use it."
Pulmonary hypertension in young children is normally treated using
nitric oxide gas which dilates the blood vessels leading to the
lungs.
But doctors have found Viagra, which increases blood flow, is highly
effective at treating the lung disease in children.
Recent trials using the drug in the United States have shown that
children may even be able to stop taking the pills after a couple
of years, as the drug helps to relax the blood vessels permanently.
To read more, visit http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=1732006
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