Elevated Cardiac Biomarkers, Erectile Dysfunction, and Mortality in U.S. Men: NHANES 2001 to 2004

The prevalence of elevated cardiac biomarkers and their link to mortality in men with erectile dysfunction in the U.S. population are unknown.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of elevations in N-terminal prohormone B-type natriuretic peptide, high sensitivity troponin (hs-troponin) T, and 3 hs-troponin I assays and their associations with mortality in U.S. men with and without erectile dysfunction.

We conducted cross-sectional analyses using logistic regression to examine associations of elevated cardiac biomarkers (>90th percentile) with erectile dysfunction in 2,971 male participants aged 20 years or older in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2001 to 2004. We conducted prospective analyses using Cox regression to examine the mortality implications of elevations in cardiac biomarkers in the setting of erectile dysfunction.

Elevations in hs-troponin T and the 3 hs-troponin I assays were associated with erectile dysfunction, with the strongest association for hs-troponin T (adjusted OR: 2.01; 95% CI: 1.22-3.30). Elevated N-terminal prohormone B-type natriuretic peptide was not significantly associated with erectile dysfunction (OR: 1.22; 95% CI: 0.74-2.03). There were 673 deaths during a median of 16 years of follow-up. Men with erectile dysfunction were at an elevated risk of death (adjusted HR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.04-1.46). Those men with elevated cardiac biomarkers in the setting of erectile dysfunction were at highest risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (adjusted HRs ranging from ~1.5 to 2.4).

In this national study, the association of erectile dysfunction with elevated hs-troponin and excess mortality risk suggests that men with erectile dysfunction should be evaluated and targeted for intensive cardiovascular risk management.