Currently, phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors are the initial treatment option for erectile dysfunction.
The reported efficacy of PDE5 inhibitors is about 70%, although it is significantly lower in difficult-to-treat subpopulations. Treatment failures might be due to the severity of the underlying pathophysiology, improper use of medication, unrealistic patient expectations, difficult relationship dynamics, severe performance anxiety, and other psychological problems. Physicians must address these issues to identify true treatment failures attributable to the drugs. This article discusses factors that might affect the response to PDE5 inhibitors and develops a strategy to maximize the overall efficacy of PDE5 inhibitors in initial non-responders to PDE5 inhibitors.
Written by:
Park NC, Kim TN, Park HJ. Are you the author?
Department of Urology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea; Medical Rresearch Iinstitute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
Reference: World J Mens Health. 2013 Apr;31(1):31-5.
doi: 10.5534/wjmh.2013.31.1.31
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23658863
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