Evaluation of microalbuminuria in patients with erectile dysfunction

The recent sophisticated diagnostic procedures aimed at identifying the exact cause of erectile dysfunction (ED) are often complicated in clinical application, invasive, or highly expensive. Microalbuminuria, a test easy to perform and of low cost, is a marker of extensive endothelial dysfunction, and it has been suggested to be linked to ED.

The aim of this study was to investigate the eventual role of microalbuminuria in differentiating patients with arteriogenic and non arteriogenic ED.

The diagnosis of ED was based on the International Index of Erectile Function 5-questionnaire, and patients were classified as arteriogenic (N = 29) and non-arteriogenic (N = 49) in relation to the results of echo-color-doppler examination of cavernosal arteries in basal conditions and after intracavernous injection of 10 microg prostaglandin E(1).

The microalbuminuria of 78 males without the most common atheriosclerotic risks and with ED was measured.

Microalbuminuria, defined as urinary albumin/creatinine ratio, was not significantly (P > 0.05) different between patients of the two groups.

Our data show that in ED patients the cavernosal arteries damage, as assessed by dynamic echo-color-doppler, may be independent on or precede extensive endothelial dysfunction, and that microalbuminuria cannot be predictive of penile arteriogenic etiology.