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Article: Viagra eases lung pressure in patients.(Sickle Cell Diseases)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- January 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Roughly one-third of adults with sickle-cell disease develop increased blood pressure in the lungs. This debilitating condition, called pulmonary hypertension, constricts lung arteries. The backpressure that results can lead to heart failure.
A preliminary study of sickle-cell patients with pulmonary hypertension suggests that they can benefit from sildenafil, a blood vessel dilator marketed as the impotence drug Viagra by the New York--based drug company Pfizer.
A team of government and university researchers identified nine women and three men who had this lung complication of sickle-cell disease. The researchers recorded the volunteers' performances ...