Chronotropic Incompetence and Dynamic Postexercise Autonomic Dysfunction Are Associated with the Presence and Severity of Erectile Dysfunction.
BACKGROUND
Exercise stress testing (EST) is crucial to determine cardiovascular (CV) risk in men with erectile dysfunction (ED). Low exercise workload, a slower rate of recovery following exercise, and an impaired capacity to increase heart rate (HR) during exercise testing (chronotropic incompetence) are independent predictors of adverse CV outcomes. Aim of this study was to investigate the association between ED and EST parameters.


METHODS
A total of 180 ED patients and 50 men without ED underwent maximal EST. Exercise parameters including exercise capacity (metabolic equivalents, METS), peak exercise time, HR at six METS, peak exercise, HR recovery (HRR) at 1 and 2 minutes and chronotropic index (CI) were evaluated in all individuals. Endothelial function was evaluated with flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery.


RESULTS
ED patients had lower peak exercise time and thus lower calculated exercise capacity (P < 0.001) and reduced CI (P < 0.01) compared to men without ED. There was a significant association of ED severity with duration of exercise, peak workload, HRR 2 minutes after exercise, and CI (all P < 0.05). There also was a positive relation of HRR and CI with FMD (all P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows interrelationships between exercise capacity, HRR, CI, and ED. Abnormal HRR and CI are associated with systemic endothelial dysfunction. These findings imply pathophysiological links and may have important implications for the estimation of cardiovascular risk in ED patients.
Peripheral Vessels and Hypertension Units, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
Nikolaos
N
Ioakeimidis
Peripheral Vessels and Hypertension Units, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
Alexios
A
Samentzas
Peripheral Vessels and Hypertension Units, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
Charalambos
C
Vlachopoulos
Peripheral Vessels and Hypertension Units, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
Athanassios
A
Aggelis
Peripheral Vessels and Hypertension Units, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
Christodoulos
C
Stefanadis
Peripheral Vessels and Hypertension Units, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
Dimitrios
D
Tousoulis
D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001916:Brachial Artery; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D004562:Electrocardiography; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D000070276:Heart Rate Determination; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chronotropic index; erectile dysfunction; exercise capacity; exercise stress test; heart rate recovery