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Year
2007 |
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Archives
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Use of erectile dysfunction drugs does not increase
HIV risk
November 16, 2006
Experts deliberating upon whether Erectile
dysfunction (ED) medications known as Phosphodiesterase type
5 (PDE-5) inhibitors increase the risk of contracting HIV, have
found no link between the two.
The matter came up for discussion at a recent comprehensive, multi-disciplinary
conference funded by the National Institutes of Health, which sought
to determine whether the drug class of PDE-5 inhibitors was contributing
to an overall increase in HIV infection.
The experts did not find any convincing evidence to support the
conclusion that PDE-5 inhibitor use is a risk factor for HIV infection,
as majority of men using them were committed to their partners.
However, clinicians and educators did emphasize the importance
of safe sex practices for those engaging in risky sexual relations.
"It’s impressive how responsible most men are who use
ED drugs, and the benefits they and their partners achieve with
them, but there is a potential for abuse that needs to be recognized,"
says Raymond C. Rosen, PhD, lead author of the report.
"I would not like to see Viagra,
Cialis or Levitra being used as performance enhancement drugs—that’s
not why these drugs were approved or why physicians prescribe them,"
he added.
Irwin Goldstein, Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine,
noted that the latest report is important to the field.
"Health care providers should be reminded that individuals
infected with HIV frequently have ED from their disease or from
pharmacologic agents commonly used in its treatment. Positive clinical
benefits have been reported in the HIV population when using PDE-5
inhibitor drugs as indicated," he said.
Source : http://www.zeenews.com
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