BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To evaluate the anxiety, depression and related psychogenic erectile dysfunction that might be developed before and after pacemaker implantation in patients with cardiac arrhythmias.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty permanent pacemaker implanted male patients, were enrolled to study between September 2006 and September 2008. Erectile function domain questions of International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-6) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) questionnaires were applied to patients, 6 months before pacemaker implantation (BP6) and on month 1 (AP1) and 6 after application (AP6). Patients were included in a multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation-adaptation program with a duration of 1-2 months. Patients were evaluated in subgroups.
RESULTS: Mean age was 51.5 ± 10.3. Most frequent diagnosis was observed as AV block in etiology. The mean IIEF values were changed 22.8→20.2→24.6 in BP6, AP1 and AP6 time frames consecutively. However, the mean HAD-Anxiety scores were evaluated as 8.1→17.0→7.3 and the mean HAD-Depression as 3.9→7.9→8.9 consecutively in the same time frames.
CONCLUSION: Cardiac arrhythmia plus permanent pacemaker implantation, increased anxiety and depression of patients and decreased erectile function at AP1; however, the improvement in cardiac symptoms at AP6 with the possible positive effects of rehabilitation program, helps to reduce anxiety and increased IIEF scores, although there was still a slight increase in depression levels.
Written by:
Sagnak L, Ersoy H, Karakoyunlu N, Murat S, Ozok U, Topaloglu H, Ozturk U, Akdemir R. Are you the author?
Diskapi Yildirim Beyazit Education and Research Hospital, Turkey.
Reference: Scott Med J. 2013 Feb;58(1):7-11.
doi: 10.1177/0036933012474580
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23596020
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