Abstract
The prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) increases with age. It occurs in 5% to 10% of men aged 40 years and 40% to 60% of men aged 70 years. There are a number of pathophysiologic links between ED and atherosclerotic vascular diseases and its presence may be a precursor of coronary artery disease (CAD) and cerebrovascular disease. Two prior studies found an association between ED and the risk of future cardiac events but both had deficiencies in design. This population-based, prospective cohort study investigated the association between the presence of ED and the risk of development of future CAD and the role of age among a cohort of men followed from 1996 to 2005. Biennial screening was carried out during the study period in a random sample of 1402 community-dwelling men with a regular sexual partner and without known CAD for the presence of ED. Time-dependent bivariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the association between ED and CAD and the role of age. At baseline, the prevalence of ED was 2.4% in men aged 40 years, 5.6% in men aged 50 years, 17.0% among men aged 60 years, and 38.8% in men aged 70 years or older. For men without ED at baseline, the CAD incidence rates per 1000 person-years were 0.94 for men aged 40 years, 5.09 for men aged 50 years, 10.72 for men aged 60 years, and 23.30 for men aged 70 years or older. In contrast, among men with ED at baseline, the CAD incidence rates per 1000 person-years were much higher: 48.52 for men aged 40 years, 27.15 for men aged 50 years, 23.97 for men aged 60 years, and 29.63 for men aged 70 years or older. These findings add to accumulating evidence supporting the concept that ED and CAD are differing manifestations of a common underlying vascular pathology. ED among younger men but not older men appears to be associated with a marked increase in the risk of future cardiac events and to have prognostic importance. The investigators believe that young men with ED could be an ideal cohort for clinical trials of cardiovascular disease prevention.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
