Erectile dysfunction severity might be associated with poor cardiovascular prognosis in diabetic men.

Introduction: Although erectile dysfunction (ED) might be associated with coronary heart disease (CHD), there is no evidence it predicts poor cardiovascular prognosis. On the other hand, an abnormal heart rate profile during exercise stress testing predicts poor cardiovascular prognosis in high-risk patients, such as diabetic men, even in the absence of CHD.

Aim: In order to study if ED predicts poor cardiovascular prognosis in high-risk patients, we examined the association between ED and heart rate profile during exercise stress testing in diabetic men with no CHD.

Main Outcome Measures: Erectile dysfunction severity, exercise capacity during exercise stress testing, and heart rate decrease after exercise stress testing.

Methods: A retrospective study. The medical charts of diabetic men with vascular ED from a single-sex clinic were reviewed, as well as the medical charts of body mass index (BMI)- and age-matched diabetic men without ED going through routine check-ups. All men underwent routine treadmill stress testing according to the Bruce protocol in order to characterize heart rate profile during exercise. The Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) questionnaire was used to characterize ED.

Results: Included were 18 diabetic men with ED (SHIM questionnaire scores 5-21) and 18 diabetic men without ED (SHIM questionnaire scores 22-25), 40 years of age or older. None of the men had signs of coronary insufficiency during exercise treadmill stress testing. Although the two groups did not statistically differ with respect to the mean age, the mean BMI, the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, and the mean exercise treadmill stress testing findings, the SHIM questionnaire scores were significantly associated with low metabolic equivalents (r = 0.51, P = 0.03) and delayed heart rate recovery during the first 2 minutes after exercise (r = 0.55, P = 0.018) only among diabetic men with ED.

Conclusions: Erectile dysfunction severity might be associated with poor cardiovascular prognosis in adult diabetic men with no CHD.