Erectile Dysfunction Is a Hallmark of Cardiovascular Disease: Unavoidable Matter of Fact or Opportunity to Improve Men's Health?
- PMID: 34065601
- PMCID: PMC8161068
- DOI: 10.3390/jcm10102221
Erectile Dysfunction Is a Hallmark of Cardiovascular Disease: Unavoidable Matter of Fact or Opportunity to Improve Men's Health?
Abstract
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is an early manifestation of cardiovascular (CV) disease. For this reason, men with ED should be carefully assessed for CV risk factors in order to prevent future major adverse CV events (MACE). Traditional risk factors are not found in all subjects at high CV risk. In fact, a relevant proportion of MACE occurs in men who are apparently risk factor free. In men with ED, it is important to take into account not only traditional risk factors but also unconventional ones. Several parameters that derive from good clinical assessment of subjects with ED have proven to be valuable predictors of MACE. These include family history of cardiometabolic events, alcohol abuse, fatherhood, decreased partner's sexual interest, severe impairment in erection during intercourse or during masturbation, impaired fasting glucose, increased triglycerides, obesity even without metabolic complications, decreased penile blood flows or impaired response to an intra-cavernosal injection test. Recognizing these risk factors may help in identifying, among subjects with ED, those who merit stricter lifestyle or pharmacological interventions to minimize their CV risk. Effective correction of risk factors in ED men considered as high risk, besides reducing CV risk, is also able to improve erectile function.
Keywords: cardiovascular risk factors; erectile dysfunction; major adverse cardiovascular events; unconventional risk factors.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Figures
![Figure 1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/8161068/bin/jcm-10-02221-g001.gif)
Similar articles
-
Family History for Cardio-Metabolic Diseases: A Predictor of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Men With Erectile Dysfunction.J Sex Med. 2020 Dec;17(12):2370-2381. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.08.012. Epub 2020 Sep 18. J Sex Med. 2020. PMID: 32958426
-
Two unconventional risk factors for major adverse cardiovascular events in subjects with sexual dysfunction: low education and reported partner's hypoactive sexual desire in comparison with conventional risk factors.J Sex Med. 2012 Dec;9(12):3227-38. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2012.02947.x. Epub 2012 Oct 4. J Sex Med. 2012. PMID: 23035969
-
Vascular and Chronological Age in Subjects with Erectile Dysfunction: A Cross-Sectional Study.J Sex Med. 2015 Dec;12(12):2303-12. doi: 10.1111/jsm.13044. Epub 2015 Dec 3. J Sex Med. 2015. PMID: 26632075
-
Erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular risk: a review of current findings.Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2020 Mar;18(3):155-164. doi: 10.1080/14779072.2020.1745632. Epub 2020 Apr 3. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2020. PMID: 32192361 Review.
-
Is erectile dysfunction a reliable indicator of general health status in men?Arab J Urol. 2013 Sep;11(3):203-11. doi: 10.1016/j.aju.2013.07.008. Epub 2013 Sep 14. Arab J Urol. 2013. PMID: 26558083 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Consumption of Policosanol (Raydel®) Improves Hepatic, Renal, and Reproductive Functions in Zebrafish: In Vivo Comparison Study among Cuban, Chinese, and American Policosanol.Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2023 Dec 30;17(1):66. doi: 10.3390/ph17010066. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2023. PMID: 38256899 Free PMC article.
-
What are the Main Risk Factors Associated with Erectile Dysfunction in the Elderly? A Cross-Sectional Study of 2436 Brazilian Elderly Men.Clin Interv Aging. 2023 Jul 8;18:1047-1054. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S405121. eCollection 2023. Clin Interv Aging. 2023. PMID: 37448757 Free PMC article.
-
Erectile function and androgen and estrogen beta receptor gene polymorphisms in acromegalic men.J Endocrinol Invest. 2024 Jan;47(1):141-147. doi: 10.1007/s40618-023-02131-2. Epub 2023 Jun 12. J Endocrinol Invest. 2024. PMID: 37306894 Free PMC article.
-
A Novel Risk Calculator to Predict Erectile Dysfunction in HIV-Positive Men.J Pers Med. 2023 Apr 18;13(4):679. doi: 10.3390/jpm13040679. J Pers Med. 2023. PMID: 37109065 Free PMC article.
-
The role of male hypogonadism, aging, and chronic diseases in characterizing adult and elderly men with erectile dysfunction: a cross-sectional study.Basic Clin Androl. 2023 Apr 6;33(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s12610-022-00182-8. Basic Clin Androl. 2023. PMID: 37020191 Free PMC article.
References
-
- The Top 10 Causes of Death. [(accessed on 3 November 2020)]; Available online: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death.
-
- GBD Causes of Death Collaborators Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980–2017: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet. 2018;392:1736–1788. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32203-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
-
- McCabe M.P., Sharlip I.D., Lewis R., Atalla E., Balon R., Fisher A.D., Laumann E., Lee S.W., Segraves R.T. Incidence and Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction in Women and Men: A Consensus Statement from the Fourth International Consultation on Sexual Medicine 2015. J. Sex. Med. 2016;13:144–152. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2015.12.034. - DOI - PubMed
Publication types
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources