Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0002962 (angina)
 21,142 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Stable angina pectoris is a common condition associated with chest pain predictable for a given level of exercise. Sexual intercourse does not lead to exaggerated heart rate or blood pressure responses and is interpreted by the heart as one of many forms of activity that may take place in a 24-hour period. Stable angina patients optimally treated are not at significantly increased cardiovascular risk during sexual intercourse. Erectile dysfunction (ED) increases with age and shares similar cardiovascular risk factors with stable angina. Sildenafil citrate can be safely prescribed for stable patients with ED providing they are not taking oral, topical, or sublingual nitrates. Sexual relationships should not be constrained by the diagnosis of angina pectoris provided appropriate medical advice is given on risk status. Family physicians and specialists are able to provide this advice based on their knowledge of the patient and the social circumstances. Impersonal advice is potentially dangerous and should be vigorously discouraged.
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PMID:Sexual intercourse and stable angina pectoris. 1089 76

Impotence, a common problem especially among older men, can now be treated with Viagra, This oral pill, unlike previous approved treatments mostly involving local injections, does not directly cause penile erection, but increases response to sexual stimulation. It acts by enhancing the relaxant effects of nitric acid on smooth muscle, and thus increases blood flow to certain areas of the penis, leading to erection. It has been evaluated in many randomized trials and in all was more successful in inducing erection than placebos. The most common side-effects include headache, flushing and indigestion, but there have also been reports of fatalities. We describe a 75-year-old man who had an acute myocardial infraction in the past and who had maturity-onset diabetes and hypertension. In the week prior to admission he had a cardiac scan following a few weeks of exacerbation of anginal pain for which he had been taking nitrites. He took a Viagra pill without prescription or medical advice and 2 hours later, during intercourse with his wife, developed audible respiratory distress and lost consciousness. His wife started cardiac massage but not mouth-to-mouth breathing. The emergency team found ventricular fibrillation and gave 5 electrical shocks and amines and atropine. He remained unconscious, but his pulse returned and he was hospitalized. He then had several generalized convulsions treated with i.v. valium. 20 minutes after admission there was asystole and all attempts at resuscitation failed. Cardiovascular status must be considered prior to prescribing Viagra, and the associated risk evaluated.
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PMID:[Viagra--the first oral treatment for impotence that is not lacking in fatal effects]. 1090 27

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is more frequent among end-stage renal failure patients than the normal population. Sildenafil citrate has been successfully used for the symptomatic treatment of erectile dysfunction. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of sildenafil citrate in the treatment of ED in patients on hemodialysis. Fifty-five hemodialysis patients above 18 years suffering from ED with steady sexual partners were included in the study. The first five and fifteenth questions of the International Index of Erectile Function were employed to evaluate ED in the patient group. A Single 50-mg sildenafil citrate tablet was prescribed for each patient. The patients were encouraged to take it on the day after hemodialysis and 1 hour before sexual intercourse. The erectile function of the patients after the treatment was re-evaluated in the same manner by International Index of Erectile Function. The ages of the patients ranged between 30 and 73 years (mean 50.6 +/- 10.9). The overall response rate was 74.5% (38/51). Side effects were nausea (n = 2), palpitation (n = 2), flushing (n = 1), and angina (n = 1). Sildenafil citrate (50 mg) was observed to be safe and effective for treatment of hemodialysis patients with careful evaluation and proper patient selection.
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PMID:Efficacy and safety of sildenafil citrate in hemodialysis patients. 1501

Since the etiology of erectile dysfunction is frequently related to endothelial dysfunction, a problem in common with much vascular disease, erectile dysfunction disproportionately affects patients with cardiovascular disease. With the development of phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors, the first of which was sildenafil (Viagra), an effective oral medication became available. The question of safety of these drugs, especially in patients with latent or overt coronary artery disease, is of concern. Sildenafil relaxes smooth muscle and therefore lowers systolic and diastolic blood pressure slightly. With organic nitrates, the drop in blood pressure is potentiated, at times dangerously, thereby making it contraindicated to take nitrates within 24 hours of using sildenafil. In double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, there was no difference between sildenafil subjects and control patients in the incidence of myocardial infarction, cardiovascular, and total deaths. Coronary disease patients with stable angina, controlled on medications, were included in the trials. Therefore, sildenafil, as a drug, is safe in such patients. With a patient with coronary artery disease suddenly engaging in the physical exercise associated with sexual intercourse, there is the danger of increased risk of precipitating myocardial infarction or death. The cardiovascular metabolic cost of sexual activity is reviewed and appears to be approximately at the level of 3-5 metabolic equivalents of exercise. Sexual activity occurs within 2 hours of the onset of an acute myocardial infarction in <1.0% of patients. Although sexual intercourse is estimated to increase the risk of myocardial infarction by a factor of 2x, there is still only a very small increase in risk, a risk acceptable to patients who feel their quality of life will be markedly improved by their ability to engage in sexual activity.
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PMID:Should the patient with coronary artery disease use sildenafil? 1531 86

In less than 20 years, the first selective type 5 phosphodiesterase inhibitor, sildenafil, has evolved from a potential anti-angina drug to an on-demand oral treatment for erectile dysfunction (Viagra), and more recently to a new orally active treatment for pulmonary hypertension (Revatio). Here we describe the key milestones in the development of sildenafil for these diverse medical conditions, discuss the advances in science and clinical medicine that have accompanied this journey and consider possible future indications for this versatile drug.
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PMID:Sildenafil: from angina to erectile dysfunction to pulmonary hypertension and beyond. 1688 6

To date, studies suggest that biological signaling by nitric oxide (NO) is primarily mediated by cGMP, which is synthesized by NO-activated guanylyl cyclases and broken down by cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs). Effects of cGMP occur through three main groups of cellular targets: cGMP-dependent protein kinases (PKGs), cGMP-gated cation channels, and PDEs. cGMP binding activates PKG, which phosphorylates serines and threonines on many cellular proteins, frequently resulting in changes in activity or function, subcellular localization, or regulatory features. The proteins that are so modified by PKG commonly regulate calcium homeostasis, calcium sensitivity of cellular proteins, platelet activation and adhesion, smooth muscle contraction, cardiac function, gene expression, feedback of the NO-signaling pathway, and other processes. Current therapies that have successfully targeted the NO-signaling pathway include nitrovasodilators (nitroglycerin), PDE5 inhibitors [sildenafil (Viagra and Revatio), vardenafil (Levitra), and tadalafil (Cialis and Adcirca)] for treatment of a number of vascular diseases including angina pectoris, erectile dysfunction, and pulmonary hypertension; the PDE3 inhibitors [cilostazol (Pletal) and milrinone (Primacor)] are used for treatment of intermittent claudication and acute heart failure, respectively. Potential for use of these medications in the treatment of other maladies continues to emerge.
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PMID:cGMP-dependent protein kinases and cGMP phosphodiesterases in nitric oxide and cGMP action. 2071 71