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Erectile Dysfunction May Be a Sign of Heart Disease for Men With DiabetesGazzaruso C, Giordanetti S, De Amici E, et al.: Relationship between erectile dysfunction and silent myocardial ischemia in apparently uncomplicated type 2 diabetic patients. Circulation 110:22–26, 2004. What is the problem and what is known about it so far?Erectile dysfunction (ED) is when a man has problems getting or maintaining an erection. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is disease of the heart and its blood vessels. Men with CAD have a higher chance of having ED. Some people with diabetes have CAD, but don't have symptoms. They may not know they have CAD. This is called silent CAD. Even though there are no symptoms, CAD can lead to a heart attack. In this study, researchers wanted to know if men with diabetes and ED were more likely to have silent CAD. Who was studied?A total of 260 men with diabetes were studied. Of these, 133 had silent CAD that was diagnosed through a heart test. The control group included 127 men without CAD. How was the study done?Researchers looked at results from two earlier studies they had done. From those studies, they took male patients who were seen for ED within the past year. They looked at how many of these men also had silent CAD. They also looked at how many men without ED had CAD. What did the researchers find?The percentage of ED was higher in men with silent CAD than in men without CAD. One-third of men with diabetes and CAD had ED, while only 5% of men with diabetes and not CAD had ED. What were the limitations of the study?Participants came from two previous studies that were not meant to measure the link between ED and CAD. What are the implications of the study?Men with diabetes and ED should be tested for CAD. Doctors should rule out CAD before using medicines to treat ED in men with diabetes. |
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