Taking Viagra or any other similar medication for erectile dysfunctions could increase your chances of hearing loss, according to a new study carried out in the US. This new development also adds to the warning made in 2007 by the Food and Drug Administration regarding this very side effect.
Testing carried out on mice showed hearing impairment following fairly high doses of Viagra, although the effect it has on humans has been sketchy, until now.
Based on a sample of American men over the age of 40 – one in six of them did not take substances similar to Viagra and suffered from a hearing impairment. Out of the men who did take Viagra and other similar drugs, one in three suffered from hearing loss. Gerald McGwin, epidemiologist, University of Alabama, Birmingham School of Public Health said that the factors did point to the fact that men suffering from hearing impairment were more likely to take Viagra. This however, McGwin said, needed further research for confirmation.
The findings of the study are featured in the journal – Archives of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck surgery.
All these products made to target erectile dysfunctions already carry a warning against potential hearing impairment. However, the results of this study makes this concern even more serious, says Dr. James E. Saunders who is an ear doctor attached to the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Centre in New Hampshire. He elaborated, saying that earlier, the focal point had been on immediate hearing loss. The study now suggests that a gradual loss of hearing could take place.
He advised that those already suffering from hearing loss should not take Viagra or any other similar drugs.