Viagra trial for Sickle Cell dad
A man afflicted by a debilitating blood condition is hoping his part in a revolutionary trial of Viagra will stop future generations from suffering as he has.
Paul Senbanjo, 49, from Griffin Close, Willesden Green, may soon be one of 200 adults and children with sickle cell disease to take part in the new drug trial.
Normally associated with erectile dysfunction, Viagra is being put forward to treat the condition for the first time.
Having inherited the disease from his mother, a carrier, Mr Senbanjo’s own two daughters, though not affected themselves, might pass it on to any future children.
Mr Senbanjo, pictured, said: “I could do a lot more with my life if the drug works.
“I’ve at least got to try and hopefully there won’t be side effects. I used to work in an airport and loved working with the public. If this enabled me to work again that would be great. I hope future generations of my family can be helped.”
Sickle cell disease is a lifelong disorder where distorted red blood cells cannot flow around the body properly.
Joint pain in the shoulders, knees, ankles, ribs and chest hit Mr Senbanjo regularly and sometimes the pain is so bad he has to be rushed to hospital. Mostly affecting people of Afro-Caribbean descent, there are around 12,500 sufferers in the UK.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is the only trust in the country trialling patients and is working with eight American research centres.
The trial will look into the effects of sildenafil – known as Viagra – on the relationship between pulmonary hypertension, an extreme facet of the disease which affects the heart, and sickle cell.
Dr Simon Gibbs, chief investigator, consultant cardiologist and senior lecturer, said: “The findings will not only be important for our local population, but across the world.”
North West London has a relatively large proportion of people with sickle cell disease and many being trialled are from the area.
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