Effects of exercise training on sexual function in male with heart failure

Abstract

Purpose: Erectile dysfunction is an increasingly common problem in the middleaged world population and has been associated with chronic heart failure (CHF), either as an epiphenomenon or even as an early marker for underlying cardiovascular disease. Exercises interventions have been shown to improve overall cardiovascular health and sexual responses. We aimed to determine whether aerobic exercise training can improve sexual function in male patients with CHF. Methods: We prospectively studied 20 male patients (53.25(plus or minus)8.87 years) with stable CHF, NYHA functional class II and III. Patients underwent supervised treadmill exercise training between the anaerobic threshold and respiratory compensation point, three times a week, 40 minutes each session, for 12 weeks. Medications were not changed during the study. On study entry and at 12 weeks all patients underwent a symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise testing, six-minute walk test, and sexual function by International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Results expressed as mean and standard deviation, the Wilcoxon test was used to evaluate differences between paired scores and Spearman test to study the correlation between functional capacity and sexual function. Results: At 12 weeks, peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) increased by 10% (p=0.002), six-minute walk test by 28.1% (p<0.001). The findings were likewise significantly in erectile function (p=0.020), intercourse satisfaction (p=0.006), orgasmic function (p=0.007), overall satisfaction (p=0.017) and sexual desire (p=0.023). Six-minute walk test and VO2peak were only correlated with orgasmic function domain (rho=0.542, p=0.014; rho= 0.453, p=0.045, respectively). Conclusions: In stable CHF, treadmill exercise training significantly improves VO2 peak, distance in six-minute walk test and sexual function.