Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/axAxR1HvtK8 Tadalafil, marketed as Cialis, is one of the popular drugs used for erectile disfunction (ED).  Now a study at Britain’s University of Manchester shows that cialis slows or reverses the progression of congestive heart failure. The study, just published in the journal Scientific Reports, was carried out in sheep since their hearts are physiologically similar to the human heart.  Heart failure was induced in the sheep using pacemakers to overdrive and exhaust their hearts. When the sheep were given Cialis at a dose equivalent to that taken by humans for ED, their heart function improved and their hearts were again capable of responding to adrenaline, a key signaling agent in both sheep and humans.  Cialis and drugs like it including Viagra work in part by dilating blood vessels, and this effect may reduce the resistance against which the heart must pump, the so-called after load, permitting it to function better. More studies are needed to explain the exact mechanism of ac