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Viagra may help children with fatal lung disorder

May 15, 2006

Physicians at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have found that the drug sildenafil, also known as Viagra, may help children suffering from pulmonary arterial hypertension. This research is reported in the June 14, 2005 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In a small pilot study, sildenafil was administered for one year to 14 children with pulmonary arterial hypertension, aged five to18 years old. Results showed an increase in exercise capacity and improved breathing among patients. After 12 months, the average distance walked in six minutes was increased by 154 meters (508 feet). As well, resistance in the pulmonary arteries dropped by about 20 per cent, allowing the children to breathe easier.

"Sidenafil compares favorably to other drugs used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension, with the added benefit of improving symptoms among patients, including increased mobility and improved breathing," said the study's lead author Dr. Tilman Humpl, head of the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic and critical care cardiologist at Sick Kids and an assistant professor of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. "It has far fewer side effects than other treatments and is less of a burden on a child trying to manage with this difficult and complex condition."