Erectile dysfunction (ED) is associated with several vascular disorders, but the associations between ED and vascular parameters are still unclear.
We analyzed and synthesized a comprehensive range of studies from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus regarding the associations between ED and the following measures: ankle-brachial index (ABI), pulse wave velocity (PWV), intima-media thickness (IMT), nitrate-mediated dilation (NMD), flow-mediated dilation (FMD), augmentation index (AI), endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and other vascular parameters. Subgroup analysis was conducted according to specific types of parameters. Study quality was assessed by using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to confirm the robustness of the pooled results.
Fifty-seven studies with 7,312 individuals were included. Twenty-eight studies were considered to be high-quality. ED patients had a 0.11 mm higher IMT (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.07, 0.15), a 2.86% lower FMD (95% CI: -3.56, -2.17), a 2.34% lower NMD (95% CI: -3.37, -1.31), a 2.83% higher AI (95% CI: 0.02, 5.63), a 1.11 m/s higher PWV (95% CI: 0.01, 2.21), and a 0.72% lower percentage of EPCs (95% CI: -1.19, -0.24) compared to those without ED. However, ABI was similar between ED patients and non-ED individuals. According to sensitivity analysis, the pooled results were robust.
Our study confirmed the associations between ED and several vascular parameters and highlighted the importance of prevention and management of vascular and endothelial dysfunction in ED patients.
The world journal of men's health. 2024 Jan 15 [Epub ahead of print]
Hao Peng, Hanlin Zhang, Sheng Xin, Hao Li, Xiaming Liu, Tao Wang, Jihong Liu, Yucong Zhang, Wen Song
Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China., The First Clinical School, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China., Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China., Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. ., Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. .