title: Arterial function and intima-media thickness in hypertensive patients with erectile dysfunction.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Diseases and Sexual Health Unit and Hypertension Unit, 1st Department of Cardiology, Athens Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece. cvlachop@otenet.gr
authors.forename: Charalambos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vlachopoulos
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aznaouridis
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ioakeimidis
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rokkas
authors.forename: Dorothea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tsekoura
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vasiliadou
authors.forename: Elli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stefanadi
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Askitis
authors.forename: Christodoulos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stefanadis
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers