Association of erectile dysfunction with coronary artery disease in Type 2 Diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVES: Association of severity of Erectile Dysfunction (ED) and coronary artery disease (CAD) in type 2 diabetics based on the number of vessels involved DESIGN: an observational, cross-sectional study SETTING: tertiary level health care centre PARTICIPANTS: 104 diabetics, as defined by ADA(American Diabetes Association) criteria, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria of positive coronary angiogram (in the last six months), were selected to participate in the study after obtaining informed consent. Details regarding ED were obtained using the IIEF-5 questionnaire, and based on their scores, participants were divided into four categories ranging from mild to severe. INTERVENTIONS: use of questionnaire International Index of Erectile Function-5 MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Karl Pearson association was done between the number of major coronary vessels involved and the severity of ED. The receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted between ED status and coronary vessels involved to predict the cut-off limit of ED score to predict CAD. RESULTS: Out of 104 diabetics with CAD, 85.5% gave a history of ED. Most participants had mild to moderate degrees of ED, which was reported as occurring 4-6 years before the diagnosis of CAD. Cross tabulation between the severity of ED and association with the number of coronary vessels involved found no statistically significant association (p>0.05). However, ROC analysis showed sufficient accuracy in predicting the severity of CAD. CONCLUSION: The presence of ED in diabetic patients warrants screening for cardiovascular disease. A clear association between the severity of ED and the number of coronary vessels involved is still questionable. FUNDING: None declared