Clipping Board » Drug Poisoning ─ It is necessary to be aware of the toxic side effects before taking medication.
Update Date: 2008/12/26 07:40 Reporter Jianfu Zhan / Taipei Report
A 41-year-old man suffered from gout in the first half of the year, and upon investigation, it was found to be a side effect of erectile dysfunction medication. The gout symptoms ceased after discontinuing the medication.
This rare case of acute gout caused by taking erectile dysfunction drugs was treated at Tri-Service General Hospital. Dr. Yaowen Zhang from the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Tri-Service General Hospital noted that he found no similar reports in medical literature, and the internationally renowned "Rheumatology and Immunology" medical journal is expected to publish this paper early next year.
Dr. Zhang stated that the man had no history of gout or family history of the condition. At the beginning of the year, he sought treatment for redness, swelling, heat, and pain in his right big toe. Blood tests diagnosed him with hyperuricemia complicated by acute gout, which improved with medication. However, the patient's gout kept recurring. It wasn't until his third visit that he mentioned he had been taking Viagra for erectile dysfunction for six months, and "every time he took the medication, he would have a gout attack the next day." This led Dr. Zhang to suspect a link between the gout and the medication, advising him to temporarily stop taking Viagra. After six months of follow-up, the patient did not experience similar symptoms.
Dr. Zhang explained that there are many causes of acute gout, including consuming high-purine foods like animal organs, drinking alcohol, or complications from psoriasis, tumors, and abnormal kidney function. Medications can also be a cause, such as common drugs like aspirin, diuretics, anti-tuberculosis drugs, and the anti-rejection drug cyclosporine, all of which can reduce uric acid excretion and indirectly trigger gout attacks.
Pfizer, the manufacturer of Viagra, stated that during clinical trials of Viagra, a few cases of gout symptoms were observed. Although a direct link could not be established, the possibility of hyperuricemia as a side effect was noted in the drug's instructions, with a probability of less than 2%. Since Viagra has been on the market for 10 years, with 27 million users, there have been no reported cases of gout caused by the drug globally before this.
Dr. Zhang pointed out that this case is related to the patient's constitution, but patients with a history of gout or hyperuricemia should inform their doctors when taking erectile dysfunction drugs, so that the doctor can monitor their condition closely.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 081226/ 2/ 1bunf. html
Rare Case: Erectile Dysfunction Medication Triggers Gout
A 41-year-old man suffered from gout in the first half of the year, and upon investigation, it was found to be a side effect of erectile dysfunction medication. The gout symptoms ceased after discontinuing the medication.
This rare case of acute gout caused by taking erectile dysfunction drugs was treated at Tri-Service General Hospital. Dr. Yaowen Zhang from the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Tri-Service General Hospital noted that he found no similar reports in medical literature, and the internationally renowned "Rheumatology and Immunology" medical journal is expected to publish this paper early next year.
Dr. Zhang stated that the man had no history of gout or family history of the condition. At the beginning of the year, he sought treatment for redness, swelling, heat, and pain in his right big toe. Blood tests diagnosed him with hyperuricemia complicated by acute gout, which improved with medication. However, the patient's gout kept recurring. It wasn't until his third visit that he mentioned he had been taking Viagra for erectile dysfunction for six months, and "every time he took the medication, he would have a gout attack the next day." This led Dr. Zhang to suspect a link between the gout and the medication, advising him to temporarily stop taking Viagra. After six months of follow-up, the patient did not experience similar symptoms.
Dr. Zhang explained that there are many causes of acute gout, including consuming high-purine foods like animal organs, drinking alcohol, or complications from psoriasis, tumors, and abnormal kidney function. Medications can also be a cause, such as common drugs like aspirin, diuretics, anti-tuberculosis drugs, and the anti-rejection drug cyclosporine, all of which can reduce uric acid excretion and indirectly trigger gout attacks.
Pfizer, the manufacturer of Viagra, stated that during clinical trials of Viagra, a few cases of gout symptoms were observed. Although a direct link could not be established, the possibility of hyperuricemia as a side effect was noted in the drug's instructions, with a probability of less than 2%. Since Viagra has been on the market for 10 years, with 27 million users, there have been no reported cases of gout caused by the drug globally before this.
Dr. Zhang pointed out that this case is related to the patient's constitution, but patients with a history of gout or hyperuricemia should inform their doctors when taking erectile dysfunction drugs, so that the doctor can monitor their condition closely.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 081226/ 2/ 1bunf. html