Erectile dysfunction may predict CVD in high-risk men: Study

Austria: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its outcomes, confirm results from a recent study in the journal BJU International.

These data suggest the importance of ED as a predictor of both quantity and quality of life. Men with erectile dysfunction should be informed by urologists about the greater health risks to prevent morbidity and mortality. 

Erectile dysfunction is defined as the consistent or recurrent inability to obtain and/or maintain a penile erection required for satisfactory sexual performance. It affects a large proportion of men and its prevalence increases with age. ED has also been suggested to be a harbinger of CVD, in addition to the sexual distress it causes. CVD is the leading cause of death globally. 

Against the above background, Shahrokh F. Shariat, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, and colleagues aimed to perform an umbrella review to create an overview of the most high-quality evidence underlying the association of ED with CVD.

This umbrella review included systematic reviews and meta-analyses that studied the association of ED with any CVD;. The population was not restricted to a particular group or age. Only studies with acceptable quality were included. Two independent reviewers extracted the data using the JBI data extraction tool for qualitative and quantitative data extraction.

The summary estimate showed a higher risk of CVD (relative risk [RR] 1.45), coronary heart disease (RR 1.50), cardiovascular-related mortality (RR 1.50), all-cause mortality (RR 1.25), myocardial infarction (RR 1.55) and stroke (RR 1.36) in patients with ED than in other patients.

"Our results confirm that ED is an independent predictor of CVD and their outcomes. ED and CVD are two presentations of the same physiological phenomenon," concluded the authors. "ED normally precedes symptomatic CVD, providing a window of opportunity for healthcare practitioners to screen and detect high-risk patients early to prevent avoidable morbidity and mortality."

Reference:

The study titled, "Association of erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses," is published in the journal BJU International.

DOI: https://bjui-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bju.15313