Research links homocysteine levels, erectile dysfunction

Internal Medicine News, Sept 1, 2005 by Jerry Ingram

SAN ANTONIO -- Men who have abnormally high levels of homocysteine--a marker already linked to increased risk of coronary artery disease--may be at increased risk of erectile dysfunction, Ralf Herwig, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association.

"The more severe the erectile dysfunction gets, the higher the level of homocysteine. Therefore, I believe that homocysteine levels are a predictive factor of erectile dysfunction," said Dr. Herwig, head of the andrology division at Innsbruck (Austria) University Hospital.

For this study, investigators enrolled 30 men diagnosed with erectile dysfunction, performed andrologic examinations, and assessed their levels of homocysteine and lipoprotein. The researchers considered homocysteine levels lower than 9 mcmol/L and lipoprotein levels lower than 30 mg/dL to be normal, whereas homocysteine levels greater than 11.2 mcmol/L were considered indicative of high risk for vascular disease.

Two-thirds (20 of 30) of the men with erectile dysfunction had homocysteine levels greater than 12 mcmol/L. Additionally, 93.3% of the men (28 of 30) had levels higher than 9 mcmol/L. All of the patients with highly elevated homocysteine levels showed signs of penile arterial insufficiency on color Doppler ultrasound examination.

Dr. Herwig noted that such high homocysteine levels mean that almost all of the patients had moderate cardiovascular risk. He also pointed out that homocysteine levels are influenced by nutrition.

"Folic acid in combination with vitamin [B.sub.12] can reduce homocysteine levels significantly. However, further studies will be needed to determine whether or not this will possibly help with erectile dysfunction," Dr. Herwig said.

BY JERRY INGRAM

Contributing Writer