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Viagra 'a danger to heart risk victims'

 The impotence drug Viagra could lead to blood clots and may be dangerous in those already at risk of a heart attack and stroke, it has emerged.

A study suggests that Viagra can encourage blood platelets to clump together and clot in some circumstances.

Medicine Control Agency figures show 86 men taking Viagra have died since 1998, the vast majority from heart-related problems. But manufacturer Pfizer insists that the drug is not to blame.

The latest research published in the journal Cell suggests the drug's effect could increase the risk of a cardiac arrest for men who already have heart disease.

Dr Xiaoping Du, a pharmacist at the University of Chicago College of Medicine who led the study, said: 'Viagra by itself is not sufficient to cause a heart attack in healthy people, but our research suggests that it may present a risk for patients with pre - existing conditions.'

However, Dr Du said that experiments which showed how Viagra could help blood clot were only carried out in the laboratory and different results might be seen in humans.

Viagra appeared to have the 'clumping' effect on platelets if small amounts of chemicals typically found in damaged blood vessels were also present. The drug is ruled inappropriate for men with serious heart conditions or those taking nitrate medicines for angina.

Nitrates work by lowering blood pressure, as does Viagra, so if they are combined blood pressure could drop so low that not enough blood reaches the heart. The drug has revolutionised treatment for men suffering impotence, and an estimated 20million men worldwide have taken it.

Although it should only be prescribed by a doctor, there have been concerns that Viagra can be accessed over the Internet, meaning proper health checks on patients may not be carried out. A spokesman for Pfizer said there was no evidence that Viagra caused heart attacks or stroke. He added: 'In the clinical trials there were men with all sorts of health status and no increase in cardiovascular events. 'We are confident that it is safe.'

A study of 9,000 men published last month concluded that Viagra did not cause heart attacks. Researchers at the Drug Safety Research Unit in Southampton and the University of Portsmouth studied patients receiving Viagra through the NHS. They found that men taking the drug were no more likely to suffer from a cardiac arrest or fatal heart problem than others in the general population.

Fiona Kirkwood of the British Heart Foundation said more research was needed into Viagra and heart health. She added: ' There have only been a small number of cardiovascular events in men taking Viagra so far and it is still unclear whether there is a link between the two.'