Pubdate: Fri, 2 Apr 1999
Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Section: Trib West
Copyright: 1999 Chicago Tribune Company
Contact:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/
Forum: http://www.chicagotribune.com/interact/boards/
Author:  Hal Dardick

LISLE MAN DIES AFTER USING VIAGRA FROM WEB

A 52-year-old Lisle man died Wednesday night at his girlfriend's home,
apparently after taking the anti-impotence drug Viagra he obtained
through an Internet site, officials said Thursday.

Paramedics were called to the Aurora home of the 48-year-old woman
about an hour before the man was declared dead at Provena Mercy
Center. The man died of a heart attack, said Steve O'Brien, chief
deputy Kane County coroner.

The woman told police that the man, a smoker, had two beers at a
tavern earlier in the evening.

Family members on Thursday said several members of the man's family
have a history of heart disease, O'Brien said.

"He had been at work all day Wednesday complaining of chest pains," he
added.

The Aurora woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said it was
not the first time he had experienced chest pains. But he had never
been diagnosed with heart disease and believed he was in good health,
she said.

She said the man obtained the Viagra through the Internet because he
was uncomfortable going to a doctor for the prescription.

"The reason he wanted to do it that way was because he was
embarrassed," she said. "We didn't think he had any problems, so we
didn't worry about it."

A Chicago-area urologist who specializes in sexual dysfunction said on
Thursday that although it may not be clear whether Viagra contributed
to the man's death, the government should act to prevent Viagra
prescriptions from being provided through Internet
questionnaires.

Dr. John Mulhall, director of male sexual health at Loyola University
Medical Center in Maywood, said most men do not come to him until 2
1/2 years after experiencing impotence.

"These Internet sites are preying on these men's insecurities," he
said.

Mulhall declined to speculate on the role, if any, Viagra might have
played in the death.

"If he was having chest pains, he may have had a major cardiac event
anyway," he said. "It's tough to say whether it was a cardiac death or
a Viagra-related death."

Viagra has been on the market since late March 1998. By November, more
than 6 million prescriptions had been written, with an estimated 3
million men using the drug, according to the federal Food and Drug
Administration.

As of November, 130 men in the United States had died after taking the
drug, 77 of them of definite "cardiovascular events."

An FDA advisory issued in November said there is no proof Viagra,
manufactured by Pfizer Inc., caused the deaths. It noted that hundreds
of Americans use it each day.

In each case, the man filled out a questionnaire about whether he had
heart disease, took any medications, or had other medical conditions.

"They asked all kinds of questions, and the answers to all of them
were no," the Aurora woman said.

Mulhall criticized the dispensing of drugs without a physical
examination.

"This is not medicine," Mulhall said. "Medicine is based on getting a
complete history of a patient. . . . And most importantly, a patient
must be examined."

He said a doctor examining an impotence patient would ask about chest
pain, and a patient is more likely to be honest in a face-to-face meeting.

Mulhall also said impotence can be a sign of cardiac
disease.

"It can be the first symptom of coronary heart disease," he said.
"That is why you need to go see your doctor if you have impotence."

An Internet search Thursday turned up more than a half-dozen sites
through which a Viagra prescription and order could be obtained by
filling out questionnaires. They included disclaimers of liability,
even though they said the questionnaires would be reviewed by physicians.

"The government is actually remiss," Mulhall said. "I think the
government has to do something about this."
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