Erectile dysfunction drugs lowered Alzheimer’s risk by 18 percent, study finds 

Erectile dysfunction drugs may be linked with a lower risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease, but researchers want to see more studies on the association, a study published yesterday in Neurology found. 

Erectile dysfunction drugs widen blood vessels so more blood can flow through them. The medicines came on the market to treat high blood pressure initially and were then used to treat erectile dysfunction. Now, researchers say they could have another benefit: reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

“Although we’re making progress with the new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease that work to clear amyloid plaques in the brain for people with early stages of the disease, we desperately need treatments that can prevent or delay the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” Ruth Brauer, PhD, a study author from the University College London in the United Kingdom, said in a statement. “These results are encouraging and warrant further research.”

The team evaluated data from 269,725 male participants with an average age of 59 who were newly diagnosed with erectile dysfunction. The participants did not have any memory or thinking problems when the study began. Scientists compared outcomes for 55% of the participants who had prescriptions for erectile dysfunction drugs to the 45% who didn’t have prescriptions. Investigators followed up on their outcomes over the course of five years on average. During that time, 1,119 people developed Alzheimer’s disease.

Among the people who took erectile dysfunction drugs, 749 developed Alzheimer’s disease. Of those who didn’t take the drugs, 370 developed Alzheimer’s disease. When researchers adjusted for other factors that could impact the rate of Alzheimer’s disease (such as smoking and drinking alcohol), they found the people who took erectile dysfunction medications were 18% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s compared to those who didn’t take the drugs. That link was the most robust in people who got the most prescriptions filled during the course of the study period.

“More research is needed to confirm these findings, learn more about the potential benefits and mechanisms of these drugs and look into the optimal dosage,” Brauer said. “A randomized, controlled trial with both male and female participants is warranted to determine whether these findings would apply to women as well.”