Severity of coronary artery disease and symptoms of erectile dysfunction in males with a positive exercise treadmill test.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study is to investigate the significance of erectile dysfunction in males with a positive exercise treadmill test (ETT) to predict the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD).


METHODS
With no previous marked CAD, and applying to our clinic with chest pain, 105 male patients (mean age: 56 +/- 8 years) underwent coronary angiography after the ETT. These patients met our criteria and were included in our study. All patients were requested to complete a brief, 5-item form by the International Index of Erectile Function, and the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM), and were classified into four groups according to coronary angiography results as follows: normal coronary artery (NCA), single-vessel CAD (1 V), two-vessel CAD (2 V) and three-vessel CAD (3 V). The relation between SHIM scores and the number of arteries with significant lesions was evaluated.


RESULTS
The median SHIM score was found to be significantly lower in both the 2 V, 15 (IQR: 12-20) and 3 V, 13 (IQR: 11-16) groups compared to the NCA, 22 (IQR: 17-23) and the 1 V, 22 (IQR: 17-23) groups (P < 0.05). Grouped as group I (NCA + 1 V) and group II (2 V + 3 V), the patients were recompared. The SHIM score is an independent parameter to define the presence of significant lesions in two or more coronary arteries (odds ratio, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73-0.97; P = 0.019).


CONCLUSIONS
The fact that the SHIM score is <18 in ETT positive males may suggest that the probability of multivessel CAD should be high.
Department of Cardiology, Meram Medical School of Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey.
Hakan
H
Akilli
Hasan
H
Gok
Ahmet
A
Soylu
Mehmet
M
Kayrak
D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index