Prevalence of cardiac dysfunction in men with erectile dysfunction: the EDcard study.

OBJECTIVES To assess the prevalence of myocardial impairment in men with erectile dysfunction (ED) as compared with the general population using conventional and two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography. SUBJECTS AND METHODS In this cross-sectional study, men with ED underwent clinical, electrocardiographic, and transthoracic echocardiographic evaluation including left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) according to a predefined protocol. All participants were matched 1:1 with controls from the general population on sex, age, and body mass index (BMI). RESULTS In total, 796 people were included, 398 men with ED and 398 controls. The ED group had a median (interquartile range [IQR]) age of 61 (53-70) years and a median (IQR) BMI of 26.3 (24-29) kg/m2. Left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction was found in 232 (58.3%) men with ED compared to 102 (25.6%) controls (P < 0.001). Nineteen (4.8%) men with ED were referred for further cardiovascular evaluation. CONCLUSION More than half of men with ED exhibited signs of cardiac dysfunction, particularly LV systolic dysfunction. Further research should explore the long-term prognostic implications of these findings.