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Isolation of Adipose Derived Regenerative Cells for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction Following Radical Prostatectomy
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Cardiovascular risk among men seeking help for erectile dysfunction

J Frantzen1, T G W Speel, L A Kiemeney

  • 1Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. j.frantzen@vumc.nl

Annals of Epidemiology
|October 18, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Erectile dysfunction (ED) was a marker for cardiovascular disease (CVD) before sildenafil, but not after its introduction. The study investigated the link between ED and CVD risk in men.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Urology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Erectile dysfunction (ED) prevalence and its association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) became a significant clinical concern following sildenafil's introduction.
  • Physicians questioned whether ED serves as an early indicator for underlying CVD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between ED and the risk of developing CVD.
  • To determine if ED remains a sentinel marker for CVD after the widespread availability of sildenafil.

Main Methods:

  • A historical cohort study utilized general practice medical records from the Netherlands.
  • Incident ED cases and controls (men without ED) were identified from a population of 60,000 men aged 35-74 years.
  • CVD incidence was compared between men with and without ED before and after sildenafil's introduction.

Main Results:

  • The incidence of ED doubled post-sildenafil introduction (5.3 to 10.1 per 1000 men-years).
  • The relative risk of CVD in men with ED was 1.7 before sildenafil (95% CI 0.9-3.3) and 1.1 afterwards (95% CI 0.6-1.8).

Conclusions:

  • ED was a significant marker for CVD risk prior to sildenafil's market entry.
  • The association between ED and CVD risk diminished significantly after sildenafil became available, suggesting ED is no longer a reliable CVD sentinel in this context.
Abstract

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