INTRODUCTIONS - Erectile dysfunction (ED) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) share a great number of common risk factors. There is growing evidence that aldosterone, an independent CVD risk factor, is associated with ED.
AIMS - The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between plasma aldosterone and erectile dysfunction.
METHODS - This study recruited 287 participants, ranging from 18 to 84 years old; 217 were suffering from ED, diagnosed by the International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF-5) scores. Based on IIEF-5 scores, patients were divided into one control group and three ED groups (mild ED; moderate ED; severe ED).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES - The differences in principal characteristics, blood routine, sexual hormone, adrenal hormone, thyroid hormone, renal function, liver function and blood lipid were compared between ED and control groups.
RESULTS - Our study demonstrated that the difference of mean plasma aldosterone levels between ED group and the control group was statistically significant (P < 0. 05). Stepwise logistic regression analysis of all the possible factors support the role of aldosterone as an independent risk factor for ED (OR 1. 011; 95 % CI 1. 003-1. 018; P = 0. 004). Similar statistical methods were applied to the comparison between moderate to severe ED group and control to mild ED group (OR 1. 017; 95 % CI 1. 009-1. 024; P < 0. 001). ROC curve and the area under the curve (0. 718; 95 % CI 0. 643-0. 794; P < 0. 001) were performed to assess the diagnostic effect and to compare the severity of risk with the known independent risk factors, such as age and cholesterol (0. 704; 95 % CI 0. 631-0. 778; P < 0. 001). When using a 374 pg/mL cut-off value from Youden index, the OR of ED group versus controls is 3. 106 (95 % CI 1. 458-6. 617), while the OR of moderate to severe ED versus control and mild ED is 5. 480 (95 % CI 3. 108-9. 662).
CONCLUSIONS - We determined that elevated plasma aldosterone concentration is an independent risk factor for ED. Our findings also indicate that the aldosterone, a well-recognized contributor to vascular injury, might be a potential bond between ED and CVD.
World journal of urology. 2015 Nov 02 [Epub ahead of print]
Fei Wu, Shanhua Mao, Tianfang Yu, Haowen Jiang, Qiang Ding, Gang Xu
Department of Urology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 12 Central Urumqi Rd, Shanghai, 200040, People's Republic of China. , Department of Urology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 12 Central Urumqi Rd, Shanghai, 200040, People's Republic of China. , Department of Clinical Medicine, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, People's Republic of China. , Department of Urology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 12 Central Urumqi Rd, Shanghai, 200040, People's Republic of China. , Department of Urology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 12 Central Urumqi Rd, Shanghai, 200040, People's Republic of China. , Department of Urology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 12 Central Urumqi Rd, Shanghai, 200040, People's Republic of China.