Cardiovascular and metabolic syndrome risk among men with and without erectile dysfunction: case-control study

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Erectile dysfunction has been associated with cardiovascular diseases. The aim here was to evaluate cardiovascular risk through the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) criteria, C-reactive protein (CRP) assays and presence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in men with and without erectile dysfunction diagnosed within a healthcare program. DESIGN AND SETTING: A retrospective case-control study was conducted. The patients were selected from a healthcare program at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, between January and December 2007. METHODS: 222 men were retrospectively selected, and they were divided into two groups: men with erectile dysfunction (n = 111) and men without erectile dysfunction (n = 111). The patients were stratified according to the International Index of Erectile Function-Erectile Function domain (IIEF-EF domain). CRP and FRS were analyzed and the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The CRP levels were significantly higher among men with erectile dysfunction (P = 0.04). Patients with erectile dysfunction also had high FRS (P = 0.0015). CRP and FRS did not correlate with the severity of erectile dysfunction. The presence of metabolic syndrome was greater among men with erectile dysfunction (P < 0.05). The severity of erectile dysfunction was directly associated with metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION: Men with erectile dysfunction presented higher cardiovascular risk according to the FRS criteria and CRP measurements. Severe erectile dysfunction seemed to have a correlation with metabolic syndrome.