Periodontitis and erectile dysfunction linked to serious cardiovascular events

Men diagnosed with periodontitis and erectile dysfunction are almost four times more likely to suffer a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) according to new research.

The study, published in the Journal of Periodontology, and conducted by the University of Grenada (UGR), found that the onset of erectile dysfunction among Spanish men with periodontitis could be a warning sign of potentially more serious cardiovascular conditions such as cerebral infarction, non-fatal myocardial infarction, cardiovascular death, heart failure, acute coronary syndrome (stable and unstable angina), coronary artery bypass grafting, or percutaneous coronary intervention.

These conditions were found to occur, on average, four years after the sexual dysfunction was diagnosed, according to the study.

Researchers engaged 158 patients partaking in the urology service of the San Cecilio Clinical University Hospital (PTS) in Granada, Spain and found that a greater number of major adverse cardiovascular events occurred in the group that presented periodontitis and erectile dysfunction. All the participants were between 18 and 70 years of age and were required to have at least 11 present teeth. After adjusting by age and previous cardiovascular disease in the multivariate analysis, the annual major adverse cardiovascular event rate was estimated to be 3.7 times higher in the same group. Other periodontal clinical variables together with ED supported these results and were close to statistical significance.

The study concluded that out of every 100 patients with periodontitis and ED, 1.8 people would suffer a MACE, this occurrence rate being 3.7 times higher than in an individual without these pathologies.