ED Drugs Cardioprotective

BY JODY A. CHARNOW

PHOSPHODIESTERASE-5 inhibitors (PDE5i) reduce the likelihood of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in men with both coronary artery disease (CAD) and erectile dysfunction (ED), according to study findings presented at the American Urological Association’s 2023 annual meeting in Chicago.

In addition, investigators found that the cardiac benefit of PDE5i is more pronounced with tadalafil than sildenafil.

In a retrospective study of 41,287 men with CAD (but not pulmonary hypertension) and ED, Albert Ha, MD, of Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center in New York, New York, and colleagues found that men who took tadalafil and sildenafil had a significant 33% and 22% lower 5-year risk for heart failure, respectively, compared with men who received no PDE5i treatment after propensity-score matching. Tadalafil and sildenafil recipients had 25% and 12% lower 5-year risks for myocardial infarction and 41% and 35% lower 5-year risks for overall mortality, respectively.

interviews with dialysis clinic providers in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The investigators interviewed 24 social workers, 6 nurses and nurse managers, 4 clinic managers, 3 dietitians/nutritionists, and 2 nephrologists/ medical directors.