Friday, February 24, 2006
Bowel disease researchers find Viagra could be a remedy
Scientists believe they have found the cause of Crohn's disease, an unpleasant and intractable bowel disorder that affects one in every thousand people in the UK - and they think it could be treated with Viagra.
The team from University College London say that the cause is the opposite of what has been supposed. Crohn's causes acute ulceration and inflammation in the gut and was thought to be an auto-immune disease - an attack on the tissues by the body's defensive immune system, treated with immuno-suppressant drugs. But a long series of investigations led by Anthony Segal and colleagues has led to the discovery that people with Crohn's have a weak and unresponsive immune system which does not repair damage easily. Because the flow of blood to damaged cells is substantially reduced, a drug like Viagra, best known for its effects on erectile dysfunction, could help the healing process as it stimulates blood flow.
Technorati tag: Crohn's Disease, Viagra
posted by I at 11:40 am
