The erectile dysfunction as a marker of cardiovascular disease: a review

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and erectile dysfunction (ED) are two conditions that often coexist. Both diseases are consequences of the systemic vascular disease, sharing common risk factors, like diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, smoking, obesity, dyslipidaemia. Furthermore, they share the same pathological basis, endothelial dysfunction. Symptoms of ED precede with three to five years the clinical manifestations of CVD. This period may be a window of opportunity for the early initiation of a prompt therapeutic action for cardiovascular risk factors. This article reviews the incidence and prevalence of CVD and ED, the common risk factors, the pathophysiological link between the two diseases, and the current diagnosis and management strategies of patients with CVD and ED, in order to prevent myocardial infarction, stroke or heart failure.