RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Our purpose was to assess the efficacy and safety of sildenafil as a treatment for erectile dysfunction in hypertensive patients, and to investigate those factors associated with a treatment failure. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Open, prospective study including 114 patients suffering from erectile dysfunction plus arterial hypertension who were evaluated by anamnesis, physical examination, blood tests including glycemia and lipidic and hormonal profiles, penile colour Doppler ultrasonography after intracavernosal prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) injection, and the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM). Efficacy of sildenafil was assessed by administering again the SHIM and by means of a global assessment questionnaire. Side effects were also recorded. Factors influencing treatment outcome were evaluated by univariate and multivariate statistical analysis. RESULTS: Overall, sildenafil was effective in 59.2% of 103 eligible patients. Efficacy in patients with psychogenic erectile dysfunction was 75%, whereas in those with an organic etiology, the efficacy was 50.7%. Age, diabetes mellitus, nocturnal penile tumescence, response to intracavernosal PGE1 injection and erectile dysfunction severity (defined by the SHIM basal score) significantly influenced treatment response (p < 0.05) after an univariate analysis. The multivariate analysis, however, selected only diabetes mellitus and severity of erectile dysfunction as the prognostic factors. No severe side effects were noticed. CONCLUSIONS: Sildenafil is a rather effective and well-tolerated treatment for erectile dysfunction in hypertensive patients. Baseline severity of erectile dysfunction and diabetes mellitus represent the prognostic factors most significantly associated with treatment outcome.