Scrutiny of cardiovascular risk factors by assessing arterial stiffness in erectile dysfunction patients

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is an early sign of vascular dysfunction. Studies have reported a correlation between arterial stiffness and cardiovascular events. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association among different criteria for assessing arterial stiffness and cardiovascular risk factors in ED patients. Assessment of pulse wave velocity (PWV), pulse pressure (PP), ratio of mitral inflow velocity to early diastolic velocity in the annulus derived by tissue Doppler imaging (E/Et), and intima-medial thickness (IMT) were performed in 200 ED patients. Linear statistical analysis of the coronary artery disease risk factors revealed that PWV, PP and E/Et were positively correlated with age, duration of diabetes mellitus (DM), and systolic and diastolic blood pressures. PWV and E/Et were positively correlated with waist circumference and number of metabolic syndrome (MS) components. For category-wise analysis, the PWV, PP and E/Et were higher in patients with DM, hypertension and MS. Multiple regression analysis showed that the independent determinants for PWV comprised age, DM, hypertension, and MS; for PP comprised age, hypertension, and MS; for E/Et comprised age and MS; and for IMT comprised only DM. Thus, PWV, PP and E/Et may be employed as markers to identify ED patients with potential cardiovascular risk factors, including MS and obesity.