EXCLUSIVEElderly man coughs up blood for three days after taking Viagra in an extremely rare reaction to the libido-boosting drug
A man in his 70s ended up with more than he bargained for after a dose of an impotency medication left him coughing up blood for three days.
Medics who documented the case said there have only been six other reported incidents of this type of reaction in patients taking sildenafil, most commonly known by the brand Viagra.
The man, who wasn't named in the medical case report, started coughing up blood shortly after taking sildenafil — which is used by millions of British men.
Over the next three, the report states that he hacked up an estimated 50ml of blood, equivalent to just over a shot glass's worth.
Seeking help from doctors he told medics that he had suffered a similar episode two weeks prior, again after taking the little blue pill.
Medics who documented the case said there have only been six other reported incidents of this type of reaction in patients taking sildenafil, most commonly known by the brand Viagra
Doctors undertook a thorough examination of the man, including inspecting his throat and nasal passages, and a CT scan of his chest and found no underlying condition that could have caused the bleeding.
This, and the fact the man's symptoms stopped after he ceased taking sildenafil led them to conclude the impotency drug was the most likely culprit.
'The precise timing of the episodes aligning with the intake and cessation of sildenafil, along with no abnormal laboratory results or treatment modifications, suggests a potential association between sildenafil intake and the episodes,' they wrote.
'Notably, no further episodes have occurred since the discontinuation of sildenafil.'
The patient reportedly suffered no more episodes of haemoptysis, the medical term for coughing up blood, after a year of follow-up.
Medics, who detailed the patient's experience in the British Medical Journal, said there have only been six other cases of sildenafil-related haemoptysis recorded in medical literature.
Considering the drug is taken by millions of patients worldwide every year, this makes it an incredibly rare and poorly understood reaction.
The authors of the case noted there were factors in their patient's medical history that could explain why the rare reaction occurred.
He was suffering from both kidney problemsand was taking another drug called rivaroxaban, an anticoagulant that thins the blood.
These factors could have combined with sildenafil, which works by temporarily increasing blood flow to the penis, to cause bleeding, they said, though they added this was just a theory.
'Decreased renal function may affect the metabolism of sildenafil and rivaroxaban, which may explain the haemoptysis due to their increased effects of vasodilation [dilation of blood vessels] and anticoagulation, respectively,' they said.
They concluded that their case study demonstrated the need for monitoring of patients taking sildenafil whilst living with serious health conditions and taking other medications.
The authors added: 'Further studies are needed to clarify the precise mechanism that causes sildenafil-induced haemoptysis.'
Where exactly the patient was treated wasn't detailed in the case report.
A total of 4.57million prescriptions for sildenafil, more commonly known by the brand name Viagra, and other types of impotency drugs sold under the brand names Cialis and Levitra, were dished out by the health service in 2023
It comes as data suggests millions of British men are now taking the libido boosting drug.
A total of 3million prescriptions of sildenafil for erectile dysfunction were dished out by the NHS in 2023 alone.
This doesn't account for many other Brits buying it over the counter privately from high street or online pharmacies, with some options costing mere pennies per pill.
Separate data, released earlier this year, suggests use of sildenafil varies across the country.
That data suggested men in Yorkshire were the most likely in England to need assistance in the bedroom with 3.5 per cent of men in the East Riding being prescribed sildenafil last year.
This was followed by men in Northumberland and Dorset who each came second and third for prescription rates of the erectile dysfunction drug at around 3.2 per cent each.
The Yorkshire region appeared to be particularly hard-hit by impotency with its cities and towns Rotherham, Barnsley, Harrogate, Scarborough and Whitby, featuring in the top 10 areas for Viagra prescriptions.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, men in Leicester City appeared to be the least likely to need help from the little blue pill to maintain an erection, with a prescription rate of only 1.6 per cent.
While the vast majority of people taking sildenafil will experience no problems, an estimated one in 100 patients will suffer common side effects from taking the medication.
These include headaches, nausea, hot flushes, indigestion, a stuffy nose and dizziness, according to the NHS.
More serious side effects requiring urgent medical care are estimated to affect less than one in 1,000 people.
This map shows the areas where people were most and least likely to be prescribed sildenafil the key ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra on the NHS
These include seizures, suffering a prolonged and potentially painful erection especially for over two hours, chest pain, and in very rare cases a life-threatening allergic reaction to the medication called anaphylaxis.
Earlier this year MailOnline revealed that popular erection pills such as Viagra have been linked to more than 200 deaths in Britain.
None of the fatalities — all of which have occurred since 1998 — are proven to have been caused directly by the drugs.
Erectile dysfunction, also called impotency, is thought to effect about half of men over 40.
While most cases of erectile dysfunction are isolated and nothing to worry about, repeated or sustained impotency should be checked out by a GP.
Erectile dysfunction, also called impotency, is thought to effect about half of men over 40.
While most cases of erectile dysfunction are isolated and nothing to worry about, repeated or sustained impotency should be checked out by a GP.
It can be an indicator of serious health problems like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, diabetes, hormone problems and mental issues like depression and anxiety.
However, not all men are advised to take drugs like sildenafil, for example those with heart problems are warned against taking it.
