Jennifer Matthews: It's the little blue pill we all know about. Now, researchers think Viagra may help heart problems, too! Billie Marie Evans hopes so. For 49 years of marriage, she took care of the housework. Now that she has congestive heart failure, her husband does most of it.
Billie Marie Evans: I depend on him for a lot. It makes me feel bad in a way.
Jennifer Matthews: Billie Marie took part in a clinical trial. Doctors compared patients like her to healthy patients to determine the effects of Viagra.
Dr. David Kass: It's an unusual new discovery initially coming out of left field.
Jennifer Matthews: Researchers found the enzyme that Viagra blocks helps reduce the effects of stress of on the heard meaning it makes the heart healthier.
Dr. David Kass: If you push your foot on the accelerator pedal, without Viagra you're suddenly going 100 miles per hour, and with Viagra, you're only able to go 35 an hour. So, it's blocking the adrenaline stress on the heart.
Jennifer Matthews: Tests in mice showed dramatic results. Hearts that were enlarged by stress stayed normal size when Viagra was used. The first round of tests on healthy patients also showed promise. Viagra reduced stress on their hearts by half.
Because Viagra is an approved drug, if the results hold up -- it could be standard treatment in just a few years.
Billie Marie Evans: If that would help, yeah I'm willing to try it.
Jennifer Matthews: That's good news for millions more like Billie Marie. Anxious for help -- even if it comes from an unlikely source! This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.