Elevated plasma aldosterone is an independent risk factor for erectile dysfunction in men

Erectile dysfunction (ED) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) share a great number of common risk factors. There is growing evidence that aldosterone, an independent CVD risk factor, is associated with ED. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between plasma aldosterone and erectile dysfunction. This study recruited 287 participants, ranging from 18 to 84 years old; 217 were suffering from ED, diagnosed by the International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF-5) scores. Based on IIEF-5 scores, patients were divided into one control group and three ED groups (mild ED; moderate ED; severe ED). The differences in principal characteristics, blood routine, sexual hormone, adrenal hormone, thyroid hormone, renal function, liver function and blood lipid were compared between ED and control groups. Our study demonstrated that the difference of mean plasma aldosterone levels between ED group and the control group was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Stepwise logistic regression analysis of all the possible factors support the role of aldosterone as an independent risk factor for ED (OR 1.011; 95 % CI 1.003-1.018; P = 0.004). Similar statistical methods were applied to the comparison between moderate to severe ED group and control to mild ED group (OR 1.017; 95 % CI 1.009-1.024; P < 0.001). ROC curve and the area under the curve (0.718; 95 % CI 0.643-0.794; P < 0.001) were performed to assess the diagnostic effect and to compare the severity of risk with the known independent risk factors, such as age and cholesterol (0.704; 95 % CI 0.631-0.778; P < 0.001). When using a 374 pg/mL cut-off value from Youden index, the OR of ED group versus controls is 3.106 (95 % CI 1.458-6.617), while the OR of moderate to severe ED versus control and mild ED is 5.480 (95 % CI 3.108-9.662). We determined that elevated plasma aldosterone concentration is an independent risk factor for ED. Our findings also indicate that the aldosterone, a well-recognized contributor to vascular injury, might be a potential bond between ED and CVD.