No abstract

Background: Sexual dysfunction has been traditionally attributed to psychogenic origins and managed by mental health professionals and urologists. However, advances in pathophysiology research point to a vascular origin of the problem in the majority of patients, possibly due to atherosclerotic lesions in the genital arteries that result in decreased blood flow. During management of Hypertension; even the highly skilled physicians fail to raise the question of sexual dysfunction as they have never been accustomed to do it in their routine practice. Aim: The study has two aims-(i) to evaluate sexual dysfunctions in male patients of Hypertension and (ii) comparison of sexual dysfunctions and other variables between case and control group. Methodology: Consecutive 200 Hypertensive patients were included in the study. Individuals with comparable age served as a control group. Detailed socio-demographic variables, substance history and treatment history for hypertension obtained using a semi-structured Performa. Subject's sexual dysfunctions were assessed by ASEX (Arizona Sexual Experience Scale), IIEF (International Index of Erectile Dysfunction), PEDT ( Premature ejaculation diagnostic tools). Result: Of the 200 hypertensive patients, 74(37%) participants reported erectile dysfunction, 16(8%) participants reported premature ejaculation, while among 200 normotensive participants, only 8(4%) reported erectile dysfunction, 15(7.5%) reported premature ejaculation. Of the hypertensive participants studied, 23% had severe, 8% had moderate, 6% had mild erectile dysfunction. Frequency of erectile dysfunction increase with advancing age. Conclusion: The present study has revealed that erectile dysfunction was a major problem, with a higher prevalence among hypertensive men than normotensive men. Age was considered statistically significant predictors of erectile dysfunction.