title: Erectile dysfunction and coronary heart disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This narrative review discusses the associations of erectile dysfunction with coronary heart disease (CHD) morbidity and mortality, all-cause death and CHD risk factors. Treatment strategies for erectile dysfunction are also mentioned.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Erectile dysfunction shares common pathways and risk factors with vascular diseases. Erectile dysfunction has been reported to independently predict CHD events, thus highlighting its role as a marker of early atherosclerosis. Erectile dysfunction prevalence may be followed by the presentation of CHD symptoms in 2-3 years, and a CHD event may occur in 3-5 years. Furthermore, erectile dysfunction has been associated with stroke, peripheral artery disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease as well as with several CHD risk factors including hypertension, dyslipidaemia, smoking, obesity, metabolic syndrome, hyperuricaemia, arterial stiffness and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. On the basis of these data, erectile dysfunction may be regarded as a part of polyvascular disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with erectile dysfunction are at an increased risk for CHD morbidity and/or mortality as well as for all-cause death. Clinicians should monitor patients with erectile dysfunction by assessing their vascular risk and preventing or adequately treating CHD risk factors. In this context, lifestyle interventions should be recommended in addition to drug treatment to attain better outcomes.
authors.affiliation: aSecond Propedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hippokration Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece bDepartment of Metabolic Medicine/Chemical Pathology, Guy's & St Thomas' Hospitals, St Thomas' Hospital cDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry (Vascular Disease Prevention Clinics), Royal Free Hospital Campus, University College London Medical School, University College London (UCL), London, UK.
authors.forename: Niki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Katsiki
authors.forename: Anthony S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Wierzbicki
authors.forename: Dimitri P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Mikhailidis
mesh_terms: D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D012307:Risk Factors