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Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors: clinical market and basic science comparative studies.
The purpose of this review is to examine the biologic, pharmacologic, and clinical differences between the three currently approved phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors to help the clinician make an educated choice about which medication may be best for any individual patient.
Topical agents and erectile dysfunction: is there a place?
Despite the proven efficacy of oral therapy for erectile dysfunction (ED), some patients are unable to take these medications because of drug interactions (ie, Sildenafil Citrate ( Viagra ) and nitroglycerin) or a lack of response. Topical agents represent another minimally invasive option for the treatment of ED. This review discusses the impediments to effective topical therapy and examines the developmental status of several candidate drugs. Although still in the investigative stage, topical medications can be another tool in the urologist's armamentarium against ED.
Erectile dysfunction. A guide to diagnosis and management.
BACKGROUND: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common age related problem best managed in general practice. The incidence of ED will thus increase as men live longer. It is only in the past decade that the pathophysiology of ED has been well understood. OBJECTIVE: This article discusses the mechanisms of normal erectile function and dysfunction and the assessment and management of ED. DISCUSSION: The success of currently available and newly emerging oral agents has revolutionised the management of ED. However, the majority of men with ED remain undiagnosed and untreated and patients are often unable to distinguish between a problem of ED, desire or libido. It is particularly important for general practitioners to enquire about ED in middle aged and older men, diabetics and patients with vascular disease. Appropriate management goes beyond management of the actual condition, and involves addressing lifestyle and psychosocial issues.
Erectile dysfunction: interrelationship with the metabolic syndrome.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is more commonly seen in men with various components of the metabolic syndrome (a constellation of various cardiovascular and diabetes risk factors). ED can be considered as a risk marker of the metabolic syndrome and its associated conditions. The patient with ED should be thoroughly evaluated for coexisting vascular disease. Any cardiovascular risk factors should be modified or treated (ie, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia). Endothelial dysfunction is a major unifying etiology for many of the aspects of the metabolic syndrome, especially diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It also plays a major role in ED. The multifactorial etiology of ED, especially in patients with the metabolic syndrome, increases the complexity of managing this problem so clinicians need to be aware of the underlying pathophysiology to ensure the best possible outcomes in management.
Gonadal and erectile dysfunction in diabetics.
The high prevalence of erectile dysfunction in patients with diabetes is caused mainly by vascular and neurological conditions;nevertheless, hypogonadism may also contribute to erectile dysfunction and to changes in mood, libido, body composition, and bone density. Age, obesity, and the assay used to measure testosterone will affect the diagnosis of hypogonadism. This article focuses on the interaction of these conditions and attempts to explain possible mechanisms for observations reported in the literature.
Hyperprolactinemia in men: clinical and biochemical features and response to treatment.
Hyperprolactinemia induces hypogonadism by inhibiting gonadotropin-releasing hormone pulsatile secretion and, consequently, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and testosterone pulsatility. This leads to spermatogenic arrest, impaired motility, and sperm quality and results in morphologic alterations of the testes similar to those observed in prepubertal testes. Men with hyperprolactinemia present more frequently with a macroadenoma than a microadenoma. Symptoms directly related to hypogonadism are prevalent. In men hypogonadism leads to impaired libido, erectile dysfunction, diminished ejaculate volume, and oligospermia. It is present in 16% of patients with erectile dysfunction and in approx 11% of men with oligospermia. Treatment with bromocriptine or cabergoline (CAB) is effective in men with prolactinomas, with a response that is in general comparable to treatment in women. Seminal fluid abnormalities rapidly improve with CAB treatment, while other dopaminergic compounds require longer periods of treatment. Moreover, to improve gonadal function in men, the integrity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis is necessary. New promising data indicate that a substantial proportion of patients with either micro- or macroprolactinoma do not present hyperprolactinemia after long-term withdrawal from CAB. Whether this corresponds to a definitive cure is still unknown, but treatment withdrawal should be attempted in patients achieving normalization of prolactin levels and disappearance of tumor mass to investigate this issue.
Common grounds for erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Evidence is accumulating to consider erectile dysfunction as a vascular problem. This review focuses on background, pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical evidence of the link between erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease. RECENT FINDINGS: The link between erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease is suggested by the following. (1) Common risk factors for atherosclerosis are frequently found in erectile dysfunction. (2) Erectile dysfunction is frequently found in vascular syndromes such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease and diabetes. (3) A similar pathogenic involvement of the NO pathway leading to impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and late structural vascular abnormalities is shared by erectile dysfunction and vascular disorders. Given this background, the "artery-size hypothesis" is a recently proposed pathophysiological mechanism to explain the link between sexual dysfunction and myocardial ischemia. SUMMARY: Erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease appear to be linked tightly each other.
Diagnosis and treatment of diabetic autonomic neuropathy.
Diabetic autonomic neuropathy (DAN) is associated with a markedly reduced quality of life and poor prognosis. The manifestations of DAN cause multiple symptoms and involve the 1) cardiovascular system: resting tachycardia, reduced heart rate variability and circadian rhythm of heart rate and blood pressure, painless myocardial ischemia/infarction, orthostatic hypotension, exercise intolerance, perioperative instability, sudden death; 2) respiratory system: reduced ventilatory drive to hypercapnia/hypoxemia, sleep apnea; 3) gastrointestinal tract: esophageal motor dysfunction, diabetic gastroparesis, gallbladder atony, diabetic enteropathy, colonic hypomotility, anorectal dysfunction; and 4) genitourinary tract: diabetic cystopathy, erectile dysfunction. Treatment is based on four cornerstones: 1) causal treatment aimed at near-normoglycemia; 2) treatment based on pathogenetic mechanisms; 3) symptomatic treatment; and 4) avoidance of risk factors and complications. Pharmacologic treatment of symptomatic DAN may be difficult, due to limited efficacy and frequent adverse reactions. First-line treatments include midodrine for orthostatic hypotension, prokinetic drugs for gastroparesis, broad-spectrum antibiotics for diabetic diarrhea, and Sildenafil Citrate ( Viagra ) for erectile dysfunction. Prior to an adequate symptomatic treatment a thorough risk-benefit estimate, aimed at maintaining the patient's quality of life, is required.
Management of sexual dysfunction in patients with coronary heart disease
THE CONTEXT: Patients with coronary heart disease are generally males aged more than 55 and in whom the question of sexual activity must be evoked, not only with regard to the risks involved with the sexual act itself but also regarding the management of an eventual erectile dysfunction. POSITIVE DATA: A negative and maximal for the age stress test is of predictive value and can eliminate the hypothesis of recurrent coronary ischaemia during sexual intercourse. Drug-induced effects on the libido and erectile function are known but only led to suspension of treatment in one out 438 patients treated for one year. THERAPEUTIC MANAGEMENT: In the case of documented erectile dysfunction, the combination of Sildenafil Citrate ( Viagra ) nitrate derivatives or NO suppliers is formally contra-indicated because of the risk of hypotension. Post-marketing registers and specific studies in patients with coronary heart disease demonstrate the good haemodynamic and coronary tolerance to Sildenafil Citrate ( Viagra ) in this category of patient, so long as the contra-indications are respected. The Princeton Consensus Panel has proposed a therapeutic strategy adapted to each patient and according to their level of risk and its treatment.
Female sexual dysfunction: state of the art.
Female sexual dysfunction, a common, multifactorial, and often undertreated medical condition, attracted the attention of the medical community with the successful introduction of medical therapy for male erectile dysfunction. This review discusses the updated classification systems and definitions,
