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Deterioration of sexual function is associated with central hemodynamics in adult Japanese men

Hypertension Research volume 43, pages 36–44 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Elevated aortic blood pressure is more strongly related to the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than elevated brachial blood pressure. On the other hand, erectile dysfunction (ED) is a peripheral vascular disfunction and is also associated with CVD; however, the association between aortic blood pressure and ED has not yet been clarified. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between ED severity and aortic blood pressure in adult men. In 253 Japanese adult men (59 ± 16 years), aortic (estimated using a generalized transfer function) and peripheral hemodynamics were measured. Erectile function was assessed with a questionnaire (the International Index of Erectile Function 5: IIEF5), and participants were stratified into three groups based on the IIEF5 score (no ED, mild-to-moderate ED, and moderate-to-severe ED). Aortic systolic blood pressure (SBP) and pulse pressure (PP) were significantly higher in subjects with moderate-to-severe ED than in subjects with no ED or mild-to-moderate ED. In addition, the severity of ED was significantly associated with the time to reflection, augmentation pressure, and augmentation index. Multivariate linear regression analyses suggested that moderate-to-severe ED was significantly associated with aortic SBP and PP (β = 0.129; p = 0.047, β = 0.165; p = 0.013, respectively) but not brachial SBP or PP, after confounding factors were considered. These results suggest that moderate-to-severe ED is associated with elevated aortic blood pressure due to an earlier arrival of the reflected wave and is an independent predictor of elevated aortic blood pressure in Japanese men.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the research members of S.M.’s laboratory at the University of Tsukuba for their technical assistance, Dr Tsubasa Tomoto at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine for his assistance with data analyses, and Dr Noriyuki Fuku and Dr Tetsuhiro Kidokoro at Juntendo University for their statistical assistance. This work was supported by a grant-in-aid for Scientific Research KAKENHI from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Japan (15K12692 to Seiji Maeda). HK and KK were recipients of a Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellow from the Japan Society for Promotion of Science.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Hiroshi Kumagai, Toru Yoshikawa, Keisei Kosaki & Seiji Maeda

  2. Graduate School of Health and Sports Science, Juntendo University, Inzai, Chiba, Japan

    Hiroshi Kumagai

  3. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Hiroshi Kumagai & Keisei Kosaki

  4. Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, Ryutsu Keizai University, Ryugasaki, Ibaraki, Japan

    Toru Yoshikawa

  5. Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Kanae Myoenzono

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Correspondence to Seiji Maeda.

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Kumagai, H., Yoshikawa, T., Kosaki, K. et al. Deterioration of sexual function is associated with central hemodynamics in adult Japanese men. Hypertens Res 43, 36–44 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-019-0336-1

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