Erectile dysfunction is a good indicator of impending heart disease, says University of Malaya Medical Centre’s (UMMC) Dr Ramesh Singh Veeriah, who presented his paper at the World Congress of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in Beijing, China.

Dr Ramesh Singh Veeriah Seven out of 10 men admitted to UMMC hospital for a heart attack had erectile dysfunction (ED), according Dr Ramesh ( right ).

ED was traced in the six months prior to their admission, said UMMC presenting the data yesterday at the congress.

In his conference paper, Ramesh said that the year-long study was conducted last year involving 111 sexually active men at UMMC, admitted for heart attack. The study demonstrated that 75.7 percent had experienced ED.

Moreover, 24.7 percent of the 81 sexually inactive men who were not recruited to the study reported complete ED for more than six months prior to screening.

“ED and coronary artery disease (CAD) share many common risk factors and are closely related. Atherosclerosis, the root cause of CAD and ED, is a generalised inflammatory disorder that progresses at a similar rate throughout the vasculature of the body.

"Therefore, it is thought that ED should precede CAD since the penile arteries are considerably smaller than the coronary arteries,” he added.

This study, says Ramesh, demonstrates that patients with evidence of ED are potentially at very high risk of developing heart disease in the future.

Warning signs

Interestingly, the study also found that all patients with a prior history of both heart attack and ED experienced recurrent heart attacks.

“Therefore, we should screen and treat such patients very aggressively,” said Ramesh.

hospital heart surgery patients “Moreover, men who are not sexually active should also be closely assessed as a quarter of them have complete ED which warrants treatment and this may also be a harbinger for CAD.”

From Apr 2008 to Feb 2009 UMMC’s coronary care admitted a total of 219 men for heart attack.  

Of these, 192 were screened and only 111 who were sexually active within the last six months were recruited for the assessment of ED.

Other indices studied include the cardiovascular risk factors, body measurements, blood results and coronary angiographic findings.

 The World Congress of Cardiology Scientific Sessions is the official congress of the World Heart Federation and is held every two years. The congress offers an international stage for the latest developments in the field.

The World Heart Federation is dedicated to leading the global fight against heart disease and stroke with a focus on low- and middle-income countries via a united community of more than 200 member organisations.