Bijwerkingen van sildenafil: resultaten van twee jaar praktijkervaring

- Sildenafil has been registered for the treatment of erectile dysfunction since 1998.

- World wide a large number of patients were reported, dying of acute heart disease after using sildenafil. Therefore the patient instruction text was adapted.

- Simultaneous use of sildenafil and nitrates is contraindicated because of serious decrease of the blood pressure.

- The use of sildenafil can lead to physical stress in patients with a history of heart disease and a treadmill test assessment is advisable.

- In two years 38 adverse reactions were seen in 25 Dutch patients.

- The Dutch reports (three cardiovascular deaths since the introduction) also show the dilemmas in the assessment of the safety of sildenafil: is it the underlying disease or is it the drug that causes death?

- Further research into the adverse reactions has to be done, therefore reporting suspected side effects of sildenafil is important.