Response to on-demand vardenafil was improved by its daily usage in hypertensive men

To evaluate whether the response to on-demand vardenafil could be improved by its daily usage in hypertensive men with erectile dysfunction (ED) who previously did not answer to on-demand regime.

Our main efficacy criterion was per patient percentage of positive answers on the Sexual Encounter Profile question 3 (SEP3). Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and nitrate-mediated dilation on brachial artery were considered as vascular parameters. A total of 74 hypertensive men with ED aged 50 to 70 years with no major cardiovascular disease were selected from 284 patients initially referred. After vardenafil on-demand usage during 4 weeks, patients with more than 50% of positive answers on the SEP3, or 50% and more than 6 points on the International Index of Erectile Function-Erection Function Domain (IIEF-EF) basal score or positive answer to global evaluation question were considered "responders." "Nonresponders" (n = 35) were randomized to daily vardenafil 10 mg or placebo during 5 weeks along with open 10 mg of vardenafil before intercourse.

In the active group, 38.8% of patients became responders to vardenafil (P < .05). Clinical response to continuous vardenafil correlated with sexual frequency (r = .68, P < .01), Framingham risk score (r = -.65, P < .01), carotid IMT (r = -.61, P = .01) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol (r = -.64, P < .01).

Daily vardenafil during 5 weeks rescued response to on-demand regime among ED hypertensive men with no major cardiovascular disease. Further clinical trials and cost-effectiveness studies are necessary to confirm these findings.