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What do cardiologists know about the effects of cardiovascular agents on sexual function? A survey among Dutch

M P J Nicolai1, S S Liem, S Both

  • 1Department of Urology, Leiden University Medical Center, PO box 9600, 2300, RC, Leiden, the Netherlands, mpjnicolai@lumc.nl.

Netherlands Heart Journal : Monthly Journal of the Netherlands Society of Cardiology and the Netherlands Heart Foundation
|September 28, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Cardiologists have limited awareness of how cardiovascular drugs impact sexual health. Many are unaware that angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) can improve sexual function, leading to insufficient consideration of sexual dysfunction in prescribing practices.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Sexual Health

Background:

  • Cardiovascular drugs like diuretics and beta-blockers can negatively affect sexual function, impacting patient adherence.
  • Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) represent a class of cardiovascular agents with potential benefits for sexual health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess cardiologists' awareness of cardiovascular drug effects on sexual function.
  • To determine if this knowledge influences drug prescription patterns.

Main Methods:

  • An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to cardiologists and residents in the Netherlands.
  • Data from 414 respondents were analyzed to evaluate awareness and prescribing habits.

Main Results:

  • Awareness of diuretics' negative sexual effects was 45%, and beta-blockers' was 93.1%.
  • Only 9.2% of cardiologists knew about the positive sexual health effects of ARBs.
  • Nearly half of cardiologists (48.2%) reported adjusting medications to improve sexual function, more so with experience.

Conclusions:

  • Cardiologists' understanding of cardiovascular drugs' impact on sexual health is inadequate.
  • Sexual dysfunction is not consistently considered during cardiovascular drug prescription.
Abstract

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