Coronary stenting can significantly increase the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED), Chinese investigators report.
Researchers at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou studied 467 CAD patients who underwent the procedure, including 193 men with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and 274 with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). All the subjects were younger than 70 years and were sexually active with a stable partner. They were questioned about sexual function six months before and six months after stenting.
Six months prior to stenting, the ED rate was 47.8% for the group as a whole, 30.1% for the ACS patients and 60.2% for the CCS patients, based on scores from the abridged five-item version of the 15-item International Index of Erectile Function, the researchers reported in Andrologia (2007;39:16-21).
Six months after stenting, the ED rates were 53.5%, 33.1%, and 69.3%, respectively. The increase in ED rates was significant for the group as a whole and for the CCS patients, but not for the ACS group. Significant predictors of ED after stenting included higher mean age, diabetes mellitus, 2,3-vessel disease, and current smoking status.
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