Assessment of a neuropathic factor in HIV-1 associated impotence: penile electrodiagnosis

The value of bulbocavernosus reflex latency verses nerve conduction velocity of the dorsal nerve of penis and penile brachial index was evaluated in 50 impotent individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (both symptomatic and asymptomatic) and in 50 aged matched HIV-1 sero-negative impotent men serving as controls. All the subjects were neurologically asymptomatic and non demented. Both HIV-1 infected asymptomatic and symptomatic impotent patients exhibited a significant decrease (P < 0.0005) in the nerve conduction velocity of the dorsal nerve of penis as well as penile branchial index from the controls of the same age group. The latency of bulbocavernosus showed no significant difference between the groups and was within the normal limits. A non-significant association in the study parameters between HIV-1 infected asymptomatic and AIDS positive impotent men was also observed. These findings suggest that impotence and altered erectile electrodiagnostic responses are likely to be associated with an increased frequency to neuropathy in these patients irrespective of their disease state.