Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is common among men taking antihypertensive agents to control blood pressure.
Aim: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of sildenafil citrate in men with ED taking antihypertensive agents.
Methods: A total of 198 male subjects, aged 20 years and older were enrolled. This study was conducted for 10 weeks as an open-label, multicenter and flexible dose trial with a 2-week screening period and an 8-week treatment phase.
Main outcome measures: Subjects were asked to complete Event Log Worksheets, as well as the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and the Global Efficacy Assessment Questions (GEAQ) questionnaires during the study period.
Results: The average age among the 167 subjects who completed the study was 55.8 (31.7 to 77.1). The scores for questions 3 and 4 of IIEF improved from 2.3 and 1.8 at baseline to 3.7 and 3.4 at week 4 and 3.8 and 3.4 at week 8, respectively. There were 86.3% of the patients reported improved erectile function at week 8; 88.3% of the patients reported improved ability to achieve sexual intercourse at week 8. There were no significant differences observed in the responses to questions 3 and 4 of IIEF and GEAQ by the number of antihypertensive agents taken. The adverse events were facial flushing (20.1%), headache (11.7%), palpitation (5.0%), rhinitis (2.8%), URI (2.8%), dizziness (2.2%), dyspnea (2.2%), and nausea (1.7%).
Conclusions: Sildenafil citrate is an effective treatment for ED; it is safe and well tolerated by patients with ED taking multiple antihypertensive agents for arterial hypertension.