BURDEN OF ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION AMONG HEART FAILURE PATIENTS IN A CENTRE IN THE SOUTH-WESTERN NIGERIA: A PILOT STUDY

BACKGROUND: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common problem among heart failure (HF) patients but is usually ignored in busy clinics in developing countries like Nigeria. Evidence abound that it has a great impact on the quality of life, survival, and prognosis of HF patients. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to evaluate the burden of ED among HF patients at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. METHODS: This pilot cross-sectional study was conducted in the Cardiology clinic of the Medical Outpatient Unit of the Department of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan. Consenting male patients with chronic HF were consecutively recruited into the study between June 2017 and March 2018. The International Index of Erectile Function-version five (IIFE-5) was used to access the presence and degree of ED. Statistical analysis was done with SPSS version 23. RESULTS: A total of 98 patients were recruited with a mean± standard deviation (SD) age of 57.6 ±13.3 years, and age range of 20-88 years. The majority of the participants were married (78.6%), and the mean ± SD duration of HF diagnosis was 3.7 ±4.6years. The overall frequency of ED was 76.5%, and those with previous self-reported ED were 21.4%. Mild erectile dysfunction, mild to moderate erectile dysfunction, moderate erectile dysfunction, and severe erectile dysfunction were present in 24(24.5%), 28(28.6%), 14(14.3%), and 9(9.2%) respectively. CONCLUSION: Erectile dysfunction is common among chronic heart failure patients in Ibadan. Therefore, adequate attention is needed for this sexual health issue among males with heart failure to improve their quality of care.