Arterial function and intima-media thickness in hypertensive patients with erectile dysfunction.
OBJECTIVE
Erectile dysfunction is a predictor of cardiovascular risk with high prevalence in hypertensive men. We investigated whether erectile dysfunction is related to arterial structure and function in hypertensive patients.


METHODS
We evaluated arterial structural and functional characteristics and measured systemic endothelial/inflammatory markers in 52 hypertensive men with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction and in 34 hypertensive men with normal erectile function, matched for age, blood pressure, risk factors and treatment.


RESULTS
Hypertensive patients with erectile dysfunction had higher common carotid intima-media thickness (0.95 +/- 0.19 vs. 0.83 +/- 0.18 mm, P = 0.003) and carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity (8.89 +/- 1.38 vs. 8.11 +/- 1.10 m/s, P = 0.007), lower flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery (absolute values of 2.96 +/- 1.64 vs. 4.07 +/- 1.68%, P = 0.003) and a higher level of the systemic endothelial dysfunction marker asymmetric dimethylarginine (0.67 +/- 0.13 vs. 0.57 +/- 0.16 mumol/l, P = 0.003), and the inflammatory markers high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [2.03 (1.16-2.89) vs. 1.23 (0.67-1.90) mg/l, P = 0.029] and interleukin-6 (4.13 +/- 2.38 vs. 2.77 +/- 1.92 pg/ml, P = 0.011). Multivariable analysis adjusting for age, mean pressure, other risk factors and treatment showed independent associations between erectile dysfunction and parameters of arterial structure and function. In the erectile dysfunction group, there were no significant relationships between the severity of erectile dysfunction (as expressed by the Sexual Health Inventory for Men score) and the above arterial indices and level of circulating markers (all P = NS).


CONCLUSIONS
In hypertensive men, the presence but not the severity of vasculogenic erectile dysfunction is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, impairment of arterial function and systemic endothelial and inflammatory activation.
Vlachopoulos
Charalambos
C
Cardiovascular Diseases and Sexual Health Unit and Hypertension Unit, 1st Department of Cardiology, Athens Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece. cvlachop@otenet.gr
Aznaouridis
Konstantinos
K
Ioakeimidis
Nikolaos
N
Rokkas
Konstantinos
K
Tsekoura
Dorothea
D
Vasiliadou
Carmen
C
Stefanadi
Elli
E
Askitis
Athanasios
A
Stefanadis
Christodoulos
C
D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D015415:Biomarkers; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012307:Risk Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology
D015415:Biomarkers