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 μmol/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). Conclusion 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.

You have accessJournal of UrologyModerated Poster 20, Monday, May 21, 2007, 8:00 - 10:00 am1 Apr 2007689: Correlation between Penile Doppler Findings and C-Reactive Protein Levels in Patients with Erectile Dysfunction of Vascular Origin Konstantinos Rokkas, Nikolaos Loakeimidis, Charalambos Vlachopoulos, Carmen Vasiliadou, Athanasios Tsokanis, George Antoniou, Athanasios Askitis, and Christodoulos Stefanadis Konstantinos RokkasKonstantinos Rokkas More articles by this author , Nikolaos LoakeimidisNikolaos Loakeimidis More articles by this author , Charalambos VlachopoulosCharalambos Vlachopoulos More articles by this author , Carmen VasiliadouCarmen Vasiliadou More articles by this author , Athanasios TsokanisAthanasios Tsokanis More articles by this author , George AntoniouGeorge Antoniou More articles by this author , Athanasios AskitisAthanasios Askitis More articles by this author , and Christodoulos StefanadisChristodoulos Stefanadis More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5347(18)30929-7AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail "689: Correlation between Penile Doppler Findings and C-Reactive Protein Levels in Patients with Erectile Dysfunction of Vascular Origin." The Journal of Urology, 177(4S), p. 231 © 2016 by American Urological AssociationFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 177Issue 4SApril 2007Page: 231 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2016 by American Urological AssociationMetricsAuthor Information Konstantinos Rokkas More articles by this author Nikolaos Loakeimidis More articles by this author Charalambos Vlachopoulos More articles by this author Carmen Vasiliadou More articles by this author Athanasios Tsokanis More articles by this author George Antoniou More articles by this author Athanasios Askitis More articles by this author Christodoulos Stefanadis More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF DownloadLoading ...

Aims Erectile dysfunction (ED) confers an independent cardiovascular risk. We investigated the role of low-grade inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in ED patients with or without coronary artery disease (CAD).Methods and results We evaluated 141 men (age 58.8 years) for ED and CAD through a rigourous investigation (including coronary angiography to reveal occult CAD). Blood levels of inflammatory (hsCRP, IL-6, IL-1 beta, and TNF-alpha) and endothelial-prothrombotic markers/mediators (vWF, tPA, PAI-1, and fibrinogen) were significantly increased in ED patients and correlated negatively with sexual performance. ED was associated with higher levels of these substances (except for IL-6) on top of CAD alone. For most substances, the unfavourable impact of ED alone was not significantly different than the impact of CAD alone. In multivariable models, these markers/mediators predicted independently ED presence. In our population, the negative predictive value of the combination of fibrinogen < 225 mg/dL with IL-6 < 1.24 pg/mL for excluding ED was 91.7% (95% CI: 61.5-99.8).Conclusion ED is associated with increased inflammatory and endothelial-prothrombotic activation in men with or without CAD. ED confers an incremental unfavourable impact on the circulating levels of these markers/mediators when combined with CAD. These findings have implications for increased cardiovascular risk in ED patients.