By Keith Mulvihill

NEW YORK, Mar 16 (Reuters Health) - Although the impotence drug Viagra may be risky for men with heart disease, there is growing evidence that the little blue pill does not raise the odds of heart attack among men with healthy hearts. A new UK study shows that men taking Viagra did not experience a higher-than-average rate of heart attacks.

"The results of this study support other research that looked at this issue," Dr. Howard C. Herrmann, a cardiologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, told Reuters Health.

In the study, researchers evaluated 5,600 questionnaires filled out by men taking Viagra. The research team further investigated all reported cases of nonfatal heart attack, chest pain and heart disease caused by artery blockages. The results were compared with heart disease information about the general population of British men in 1998.

The heart disease death rate among men on Viagra was 30% lower than average, according to Saad A. W. Shakir and colleagues from the Drug Safety Research Unit in Southampton, UK. Their report is published in the March 17th issue of the British Medical Journal.

"Though our results are reassuring, it is inappropriate to accept these comparisons as definitive evidence of equivalence between (the study group taking Viagra) and men in the general population in England," Shakir and colleagues conclude.

"The study really does not change anything we did not already know. It is consistent with other data that suggests that sildenafil (Viagra) is safe," said Herrmann, who was not involved in the study.

However, Herrmann stressed that patients with active cardiovascular disease need to consult their physicians and be sure their condition is stabilized when considering Viagra for treatment of impotence.

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