Medication appears helpful for treatment of erectile dysfunction in men with spinal cord injuriesSeptember 11, 2007The drug tadalafil appears to improve erectile function in men with spinal cord injuries, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the November 2007 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Between 10.4 and 83 individuals per million worldwide experience spinal cord injuries every year, according to background information in the article. "Throughout the world, spinal cord injury occurs most often in young men, resulting in negative physical, social and psychological consequences," the authors write. "Erectile dysfunction, defined as the inability to attain and maintain penile erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance, is a common complication in men with spinal cord injury." Only 25 percent of men with spinal cord injuries are able to have erections that are adequate for having intercourse. Francois Giuliano, M.D., Ph.D., of the Raymond Poincare Hospital, Garches, France, and colleagues, conducted a randomized, double-blind study of tadalafil in 197 men with spinal cord injuries (average age 38). After a four-week period during which none of the men received treatment, 142 were randomly assigned to the tadalafil treatment group and 44 to the placebo group. During the 12-week treatment phase, the participants were instructed to take the medication as needed before the potential for sexual activity, with a maximum of one dose daily. Those assigned to take tadalafil were given a 10-milligram dose at first and were evaluated every four weeks, at which time patients were switched to a 20-milligram dose based on their response to the treatment. At the beginning of the study, the men's average score on the International Index of Erectile Function-a 15-item questionnaire on which a score of 25 or lower indicates erectile dysfunction-was 13.4. After 12 weeks of treatment, men taking tadalafil had an average score of 22.6 (indicating mild erectile dysfunction) and men taking placebo had an average score of 13.6 (indicating moderate erectile dysfunction). Men taking tadalafil were, on average, successful 75.4 percent of the times they attempted penetration and 47.6 percent of the times they attempted intercourse, compared with a 41.1 success rate for penetration and 16.8 percent for intercourse among men taking placebo. "Tadalafil was safe and well tolerated with few treatment-emergent side effects," the authors write. Fifty (35 percent) of patients in the tadalafil group and 15 (34 percent) of those in the placebo group experienced at least one adverse effect. Among those taking tadalafil, the most common side effects were headache (8.5 percent of patients) and urinary tract infection (7.7 percent of patients). "As in other erectile dysfunction studies that include patients who were difficult to treat owing to pre-existing conditions (e.g., prostatectomy, diabetes mellitus), tadalafil was efficacious for the treatment of erectile dysfunction after a traumatic spinal cord injury," the authors write. "On-demand treatment with tadalafil (10 milligrams or 20 milligrams) may help improve the sex lives of patients with erectile dysfunction and spinal cord injury and their partners." JAMA and Archives Journals |
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| Related Spinal Cord Current Events and Spinal Cord News Articles Cancer metabolism discovery uncovers new role of IDH1 gene mutation in brain cancer Agios Pharmaceuticals today announced that its scientists have established, for the first time, that the mutated IDH1 gene has a novel enzyme activity consistent with a cancer-causing gene, or oncogene. Drug studied as possible treatment for spinal injuries Researchers have shown how an experimental drug might restore the function of nerves damaged in spinal cord injuries by preventing short circuits caused when tiny "potassium channels" in the fibers are exposed. Scripps research scientists find new link between insulin and core body temperature A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a direct link between insulin-a hormone long associated with metabolism and metabolic disorders such as diabetes-and core body temperature. UCI embryonic stem cell therapy restores walking ability in rats with neck injuries The first human embryonic stem cell treatment approved by the FDA for human testing has been shown to restore limb function in rats with neck spinal cord injuries - a finding that could expand the clinical trial to include people with cervical damage. Findings show nanomedicine promising for treating spinal cord injuries Researchers at Purdue University have discovered a new approach for repairing damaged nerve fibers in spinal cord injuries using nano-spheres that could be injected into the blood shortly after an accident. Researchers explore new ways to prevent spinal cord damage using a vitamin B3 precursor Substances naturally produced by the human body may one day help prevent paralysis following a spinal cord injury, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College. A recent $2.5 million grant from the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board will fund their research investigating this possibility. Researchers identify drug candidate for treating spinal muscular atrophy A chemical cousin of the common antibiotic tetracycline might be useful in treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a currently incurable disease that is the leading genetic cause of death in infants. Master regulator found for regenerating nerve fibers in live animals Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston report that an enzyme known as Mst3b, previously identified in their lab, is essential for regenerating damaged axons (nerve fibers) in a live animal model, in both the peripheral and central nervous systems. Researchers find ways to encourage spinal cord regeneration after injury Animal research is suggesting new ways to aid recovery after spinal cord injury. New studies demonstrate that diet affects recovery rate and show how to make stem cell therapies safer for spinal injury patients. MIT: Muscle 'synergies' may be key to stroke treatment Researchers at MIT and San Camillo Hospital in Venice, Italy, have shown that motor impairments in stroke patients can be understood as impairments in specific combinations of muscle activity, known as synergies. More Spinal Cord Current Events and Spinal Cord News Articles |
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