Elevated serum homocysteine level as an independent risk factor for erectile dysfunction: a prospective pilot...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Science
• Urology
• Metabolic Research

Background:

• Homocysteine, a methionine metabolite, is increasingly recognized for its association with cardiovascular and thromboembolic risks.
• Erectile dysfunction (ED), particularly vasculogenic ED, is a vascular condition affecting the penile vascular bed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate plasma homocysteine levels in men with erectile dysfunction compared to healthy controls.
• To identify homocysteine as a potential biomarker for ED and assess its correlation with disease severity.

Main Methods:

• A prospective pilot case-control study involving 32 ED patients and 20 healthy male controls.
• Collected patient characteristics and penile color Doppler ultrasound parameters, including peak systolic blood flow velocity (PSV).
• Utilized multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses to determine significant indicators and threshold values.

Main Results:

• ED patients exhibited significantly higher plasma homocysteine levels compared to controls (p < .05).
• Homocysteine and penile PSV were identified as significant indicators for ED and moderate to severe ED occurrence (p < .005).
• The ROC analysis established a homocysteine threshold of 12.65 μmol/L for discriminating between ED and control subjects.

Conclusions:

• Elevated homocysteine levels are associated with an increased risk of developing erectile dysfunction.
• Homocysteine may serve as a valuable biomarker for diagnosing and assessing the severity of ED, particularly vasculogenic ED.