Erectile dysfunction in men burdened with the familial occurrence of coronary artery disease

Abstract

Erectile dysfunction (ED) and coronary artery disease (CAD) share common risk factors, some of which have genetic backgrounds, while others may be stimulated by family lifestyle. We investigated the impact of the familial occurrence of CAD on the presence of ED and the presence of classic risk factors for ED in men with CAD. This cross-sectional observational study involved 751 men with CAD who were subjected to cardiac rehabilitation. Overall, 75.63% of the men had ED. CAD was diagnosed in 39.28% of the studied men’s relatives. ED was less frequent in the men with familial CAD than in those without (71.53% vs. 78.29%). Similar relations were observed for the presence of CAD in parents (70.43% vs. 78.34%) and the father (69.95% vs. 77.46%). The International Index of Erectile Function 5 score was significantly higher in patients with familial CAD (median (interquartile range); 17 (12–22) vs. 16 (10–21); p = 0.0118), in parents (18 (12–22) vs. 16 (10–20); p = 0.021), and in the father (18 (12–22) vs. 16 (10–21); p = 0.0499). Age and education minimized the effect of familial CAD. Familial CAD increased the incidence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and smoking but not sedentary lifestyle. Despite the higher prevalence of selected risk factors for ED in men with familial CAD, a higher incidence of ED was not observed.