Study: Cardiovascular Health Influences Erectile Dysfunction Risk

Men who have multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease are more likely to develop erectile dysfunction (ED) than those without, even after adjustment for baseline brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD).

While previous research has associated endothelial dysfunction and ED with certain components of cardiovascular health (CVH), the relationship between overall CVH and ED have not been established.
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For their study, researchers collected data from 1136 men who participated in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. CVH score was determined using 7 health metrics (hypertension, elevated cholesterol, high blood sugar, being overweight or obese, insufficient physical activity, poor diet, and smoking), and endothelial function was measured with FMD.

Overall, FMD was higher in men without ED and in men with high vs low CVH, and ED prevalence decreased with increasing CVH: 58% in men with low CVH, 41% with moderate CVH, and 33% with high CVH.

“CVH is associated with future erectile dysfunction, even after adjustment for baseline FMD. Maintaining high CVH may improve quality of life for men,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Lane-Cordova AD, Kershaw K, Liu K, et al. Association between cardiovascular health and endothelial function with future erectile dysfunction: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis [published online April 20, 2017]. AJH. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/ajh/hpx060.