Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Related to Heart Disease - New Study Links

January 28th 2006

Dr. Parker Ward

A recent study from the University of Chicago has shown that Erectile Dysfunction (ED) “was a stronger predictor of significant coronary heart disease than any of the traditional office-based risk factors, such as family history, cholesterol levels or blood pressure.” Erectile Dysfunction patients were also more likely to have reduced exercise endurance and a reduced ejection fraction. Ejection fraction is a measure of the hearts pumping capacity.

Earlier studies have linked ED with atherosclerotic vascular disease. This study links ED with “abnormal results on cardiac stress testing, including evidence for severe coronary artery blockages and markers of a poor cardiovascular prognosis,” according to the researchers.

Earlier studies has shown that Viagra may be a good treatment for heart failure and heart disease. In research conducted by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and its Heart Institute, Sildenafil citrate (or Viagra) relieves the stress on the heart caused by excess blood and force. According to an earlier article published by Best Syndication “The process is not understood completely, but Viagra is known to work by stopping the action of an enzyme, called phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5A). This enzyme is involved in the breakdown of a key molecule, cyclic GMP, which helps control stresses and limit overgrowth in the heart. “

Dr. Parker Ward, assistant professor of medicine and director of the cardiology clinic at the University of Chicago said "The good news is that a decrease in sexual function could provide an additional warning sign for the presence of heart disease." The Chicago study focused on 221 men who had been referred to cardiologists at the University of Chicago for nuclear stress testing. Nuclear testing is a widely used, non-invasive way to detect the extent, severity and reversibility of coronary heart disease.

These participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire. Almost 55 percent of these men suffered from ED (121 of them). These men, on the average, scored less on exercise tests that measure coronary heart disease. They had shorter exercise times, lower treadmill scores, and more frequently had a low ejection fraction. They also had greater evidence of significant coronary artery blockages during myocardial perfusion imaging -- the portion of the test that measures blood flow to the heart.

The authors say that ED does not cause heart disease, but it may indicate that the process of arterial damage is well underway. The authors say "As the penile arteries are relatively small in comparison with the coronary arteries, … they may be more prone to cause ED with even comparatively small amounts of atherosclerosis."