BACKGROUND: Viagra (Sildenafil) is the most prescribed oral medication for erectile dysfunction (ED). It has helped 25 million men worldwide to improve their erections. It was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1998 and was originally developed to treat angina by opening up blood vessels when doctors and patients discovered the impact it had on male sexual arousal.

PULMONARY HYPERTENSION: Pulmonary Hypertension (PHT) is a rare blood vessel disorder that results in high blood pressure in the lungs. The blood vessels that supply the lungs constrict and their walls thicken, making them unable to carry as much blood. The heart works harder, trying to force the blood though. If the pressure gets high enough, eventually the heart can't keep up and less blood can circulate through the lungs to pick up oxygen, causing patients to become tired, dizzy and short of breath. PHT is virtually a death sentence for newborn babies and is also life-threatening for children. It can begin with a heart defect or for reasons unexplained. In babies with the problem, a bypass vessel used for fetal circulation fails to close after birth, depriving the child of oxygen. PHT affects 28,000 children in the United States.

TREATMENT: There is currently no cure for PHT. Inhaled oxygen can be used to help raise the levels of oxygen in the bloodstream. Babies with PHT are usually put on a ventilator and given nitric oxide to help reduce the resistance in the lung blood vessels and improve heart function. Several other types of medications can be used to open up constricted blood vessels, reduce high blood pressure and prevent blood clots in the lungs. Heart and lung transplants may be recommended for patients who do not respond to medication.

VIAGRA FOR KIDS?: Doctors are using Viagra to open up blood vessels in children and say it works better than nitric oxide and has fewer side effects. “The use of Viagra in children with pulmonary hypertension is new and preliminary evidence shows that it is effective in delaying the onset of increased pulmonary resistance in children with congenital heat disease and alleviating systems in children with acquired and primary pulmonary hypertension,“ said Dr. Charles Gaymes, chief of pediatric cardiac arrhythmia at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (SOURCE: Journal of the American Heart Association, June 2005). However, risks include blindness, liver damage, upset stomach and flushing. Viagra is not a cure for pulmonary hypertension in children, but it will help them until one is found.