{"id":14576,"date":"2016-04-29T09:00:24","date_gmt":"2014-04-29T16:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.accessrx.com\/blog\/?p=14576"},"modified":"2018-12-13T15:14:41","modified_gmt":"2018-12-13T15:14:41","slug":"can-viagra-combat-a-rare-childhood-deformity-m0403","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction\/viagra\/can-viagra-combat-a-rare-childhood-deformity-m0403\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Viagra Combat a Rare Childhood Deformity?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A<\/span> serendipitous discovery leads a doctor to explore sildenafil citrate, Viagra’s active ingredient, as a treatment for lymphangioma. This physical deformity occurs most often in infants. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Lymphangiomas can occur anywhere on the body, and they can occur at any age. However, 90\u00a0percent of lymphangioma cases occur in infants under age two, and most involve some part of the head or neck. Some lymphangiomas are associated with chromosome abnormalities like Turner Syndrome (a condition where a female has only one X chromosome rather than two), while others don\u2019t occur with any other recognizable condition. They are often diagnosed before birth with the help of ultrasound. Lymphangiomas may also be acquired, due to lymphatic obstruction or trauma.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most lymphangiomas are benign and basically consist of a soft, doughy mass that grows slowly. They don\u2019t turn into cancer and are typically treated for cosmetic reasons. However, depending on the location of a lymphangioma, the growth may press upon critical organs. For example, if a lymphangioma grows to where it compresses the trachea, it can be dangerous and needs to be treated. Many of the treatment methods for this condition, however, are unsatisfactory. Surgical removal, laser therapy, and radio frequency ablation (treatment using heat from high-frequency alternating current in the 350 to 500 kHz frequency range) have not proven to be as effective as hoped. Often the lymphangioma grows back after treatment.<\/p>\n

However, researchers have discovered that sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, may be another useful treatment option.<\/p>\n

A Study of 7 Pediatric Patients<\/h3>\n

The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology<\/i> published a study of seven patients<\/a> with lymphangiomas who were treated with sildenafil by pediatric dermatologist Al Lane, M.D., of Lucile Packard Children\u2019s Hospital at Stanford University. Sildenafil has a strong safety profile and is actually already used in children who have a condition called pulmonary arterial hypertension. Of the seven children in the lymphangioma study, six responded to sildenafil, though some responded more favorably than others. One child\u2019s lymphangioma worsened during treatment with sildenafil, however.<\/p>\n

Lane and his team are now planning a larger, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in hopes of learning why these children responded differently to the medication. Currently, Lane is waiting to find out if the study will be funded through an orphan disease grant from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.<\/p>\n

Ocular Lymphangiomas<\/h3>\n

Lymphangiomas that occur near the eye often produce serious complications and are harder to treat than other lymphangiomas. The traditional treatments carry significant risks, and the results are hard to predict. In September 2013, the journal JAMA Ophthalmology<\/i> published a study of two children with ocular lymphangiomas<\/a> that was conducted by researchers at the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California-Davis in Sacramento.<\/p>\n

Two pediatric patients with ocular lymphangiomas were treated with sildenafil. One patient was a 12-month-old boy with an extensive orbital and facial lymphangioma who had been treated unsuccessfully using drainage procedures. He responded well to treatment with sildenafil. The other patient was a 12-year-old boy with an orbital lymphangioma that caused severe eye pain. He was facing possible removal of the eye due to the condition, but after sildenafil treatment, this was unnecessary.<\/p>\n

Researchers hope to conduct larger clinical trials so they can clarify the optimal length of treatment with sildenafil and any possible long-term side effects.<\/p>\n

How Does Viagra Help?<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Sildenafil citrate, Viagra’s active ingredient, helps treat lymphangioma.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More research is needed<\/a> to determine exactly how Viagra improves lymphangioma. In general, Viagra works by relaxation of the smooth muscle that lines blood vessels. It\u2019s possible that this effect causes the channels of the lymphatic system to become decongested, reducing swelling. It\u2019s also possible that dilation of blood vessels near the lymphangioma compresses the growth and causes it to shrink. Doctors won\u2019t be able to routinely treat lymphangioma patients with sildenafil until they conduct a placebo-controlled trial and receive approval through the FDA.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t make intuitive sense that Viagra could treat a condition like lymphangioma, so how did researchers figure it out? Lane at Lucile Packard Children\u2019s Hospital in Palo Alto happened to be treating a child who had both pulmonary arterial hypertension and a lymphangioma. When he treated the pulmonary hypertension with sildenafil, he noticed that during treatment the lymphangioma shrank significantly. Unfortunately, this child\u2019s primary pulmonary hypertension was severe enough that she died, but her case could have profound positive influence on how lymphangiomas are treated in the future.<\/p>\n

Other Medical Uses for Viagra<\/h3>\n

Viagra started out as a compound being tested for treating high blood pressure and angina. It wasn\u2019t useful for that purpose, but the compound\u2019s notable side effect of helping men have stronger erections led to research of the drug as a treatment for erectile dysfunction. Viagra was revolutionary in many ways, not only offering an effective, simple new treatment for ED, but also prompting dialog between men, their partners, and their doctors about ED and showing that ED is not as uncommon as people may have believed.<\/p>\n

In the years since Viagra was introduced, sildenafil has been studied as a treatment for numerous other conditions, including:<\/p>\n