Spanish researchers believe Viagra could help people suffering from multiple sclerosis. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the disease affects about 2.5 million people worldwide, about 400,000 of those people live in the U.S. Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a debilitating disease that attacks the central nervous system. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The condition varies widely from patient to patient.
While there are drugs to help alleviate the symptoms brought on by MS, researchers believe the popular drug used by men to enhance their sex life could help those suffering with MS. Researchers at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona gave Viagra to mice with MS and found complete recovery from MS symptoms in 50% of the mice after just eight days of treatment.
Researchers are now pushing for clinical trials to test the drug on people. The study was published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica.
Causes of MS
“MS symptoms result when an immune-system attack affects myelin, the protective insulation surrounding nerve fibers of the central nervous system,” according to the National MS Society website. “Myelin is destroyed and replaced by scars of hardened “sclerotic” tissue and can permanently damage nerves.” Myelin is often compared to insulating material around an electrical wire; loss of myelin interferes with the transmission of nerve signals.
Diagnosing MS
Early on symptoms can indicate any number of possible disorders. Some people have symptoms that are very difficult for physicians to interpret, and these people must “wait and see.” While no single laboratory test is yet available to prove or rule out MS, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a great help in reaching a definitive diagnosis.
The disease is rarely fatal, but most people have a normal life expectancy.
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