Severity of coronary artery disease and symptoms of erectile dysfunction in males with a positive exercise treadmill test

Aim: The objective of this study is to investigate the significance of erectile dysfunction in males with a positive exercise treadmill test (ETT) to predict the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). Materials and Method: With no previous marked CAD, and applying to our clinic with chest pain, 105 male patients (mean age: 56 +/- 8 years) underwent coronary angiography after the ETT. These patients met our criteria and were included in our study. All patients were requested to complete a brief, 5-item form by the International Index of Erectile Function, and the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM), and were classified into four groups according to coronary angiography results as follows: normal coronary artery (NCA), single-vessel CAD (1 V), two-vessel CAD (2 V) and three-vessel CAD (3 V). The relation between SHIM scores and the number of arteries with significant lesions was evaluated. Results: The median SHIM score was found to be significantly lower in both the 2 V, 15 (IQR: 12-20) and 3 V, 13 (IQR: 11-16) groups compared to the NCA, 22 (IQR: 17-23) and the 1 V, 22 (IQR: 17-23) groups (P < 0.05). Grouped as group I (NCA + 1 V) and group II (2 V + 3 V), the patients were recompared. The SHIM score is an independent parameter to define the presence of significant lesions in two or more coronary arteries (odds ratio, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73-0.97; P = 0.019). COnclusion: The fact that the SHIM score is < 18 in ETT positive males may suggest that the probability of multivessel CAD should be high.