Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients with Erectile Dysfunction

While not lethal, erectile dysfunction (ED) can negatively affect the quality of life of patients. The objective of this study was to investigate cardiovascular risk factors (CRF) associated with ED, taking into account their sociodemographic characteristics. Possible correlations between the degree of ED and CRF were investigated. Fifty-six patients with ED, with ages ranging from 38 to 79 years (mean of 57.4 ± 8.4 years), with or without CRF were prospectively studied. ED was classified as mild, moderate or severe using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Demographic (age, marital status, number of children, education level and place of residence) and clinical data relating to CRF [high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, alcoholism, weight and smoking] were obtained by applying a questionnaire. Frequency tables were used to assess the association of the degree of ED with sociodemographic and clinical variables. Most patients were married (82.1%) had children (85.7%) and incomplete primary education (73.3%). Moreover, most participants had severe ED (75%), followed by moderate (17.9%) and mild (7.1%). Hypertension was the most common CRF (53.6%) followed by diabetes, obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking. No significant association was found when the mean age and body mass index were evaluated in respect to the degree of ED. Moreover, no significant correlation was found for the degree of ED in relation to hypertension, diabetes, smoking and alcohol consumption. Most hypertensive patients and nearly half of the smokers and ex-smokers had grade 3 ED. Grade 3 ED in this study may be related to the high frequency of concomitant CRF associated to ED however there was no significant association between ED in general and CRF.