Revealed: The Brits who need Viagra the most - as NHS figures show which areas show biggest demand for erectile dysfunction drug
New NHS figures have revealed which areas have the highest demand for Viagra.
Men from Yorkshire are given the most prescriptions for Viagra or similar performance-aiding drugs.
The East Riding of Yorkshire topped the table with 3.5 per cent of people needing the little blue pill.
Coming in at a close second was Northumberland with 3.3 per cent of men using the pill.
And in the coastal area of Dorset, which is popular with retirees, 3.2 per cent of men required the pill.
On top of that men in the North used Viagra more often that men in the South last year.
Those living in London, Cambridgeshire and Berkshire were far less likely to ask for a prescription.
But only 1.5 per cent of men in Leicester were prescribed the drug - making it the area with the lowest rate of users in the UK.
Consultant urologist Gordon Muir, of London Bridge Hospital, told the Sun: 'NHS provision of this treatment can vary from region to region, as can the ratio of underlying disease which probably explains some of the differences.'
Most men occasionally struggle to get or keep an erection due to stress, tiredness, anxiety or drinking too much alcohol.
But up to one in five men in the UK (4.3million) suffer erectile dysfunction - when this keeps happening.
It can be caused by high blood pressure or cholesterol, hormone problems or side effects from medication.
Medicines containing sildenafil, originally developed to treat angina, are often used to treat the condition. It expands blood vessels and boosts blood flow to the genitals.
Viagra was originally cooked up by Covid vaccine manufacturer Pfizer in 1989, with hopes that sildenafil citrate could treat high blood pressure.
But clinical trials in Wales a few years later saw men report an unusual side effect —they got more erections while taking the medication.
The drug was approved in the US and EU in 1998, branded as Viagra, and became one of the fastest selling drugs of all time.
Nearly half of men between the ages of 40 and 70 suffer from erectile dysfunction in the UK - this is around 4.3 million people.
But reports suggest the 'little blue pill' is now becoming increasingly popular with younger individuals in their twenties and thirties.
A 2020 survey of 5,000 people carried out for Upjohn, the maker of Viagra Connect, the over-the-counter version of the drug, showed that 18 per cent of 18-24-year-old men had erection difficulties.
And more recently, the ease of getting the drug without a prescription seems to be fueling its popularity with a younger audience.
Non-branded sildenafil can be available from the NHS, to treat erectile dysfunction or pulmonary hypertension.
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