Abstract: PD45-09
Sources of Funding: A.S.H. is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) K12 Scholar supported by a Male Reproductive Health Research (MHRH) Career Development Physician-Scientist Award (HD073917-01) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Program (to Dolores J. Lamb).

Introduction

Next generation immunodiagnostic assays offer the ability to quantify single-molecule cardiovascular and inflammatory related biomarkers with high sensitivity. It is known that patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) are at a greater risk for CVD. Additional highly predictive testing, however, is needed to distinguish ED patients at the greatest risk of CVD. We sought to characterize clinically relevant biomarkers that associate with poor erectile function. _x000D_

Methods

A retrospective review was performed on men with sexual dysfunction presenting to a single academic andrology clinic. Patients who underwent diagnostic evaluation for sexual dysfunction, completed the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire, and underwent high sensitivity cardiovascular biomarker testing (Singulex, CA, USA) were included. Electronic medical records were reviewed to collect demographic information. Descriptive statistics and the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA were performed. _x000D_

Results

A total of 56 men were included in the study, with a control group of 24 men with normal erectile function scores on the IIEF, 14 with mild ED, 5 with mild-moderate ED, 4 with moderate ED, and 9 with severe ED. Mean age for the entire cohort was 42.2 years (SD 14.9) and mean age of the controls was 39.2 (SD 12.5). Serum levels of 22 biological markers of cardiovascular risk were assessed. Of these 22, HDL2B and cTn-I were significantly associated with IIEF scores, with higher HDL2B biomarker levels associated with severe ED (p=0.038) and lower cTn-I levels associated with severe ED (p=0.040).

Conclusions

High sensitivity biomarkers of cardiovascular disease, specifically HDL2B and cTn-I, can facilitate early detection of cardiovascular risk in men with ED, corroborating the known relationship between CVD and ED. Further validation of the clinical relevancy of these biomarkers is necessary to confirm the early risk of CVD risk in men with ED. _x000D_

Funding

A.S.H. is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) K12 Scholar supported by a Male Reproductive Health Research (MHRH) Career Development Physician-Scientist Award (HD073917-01) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Program (to Dolores J. Lamb).