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Does Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction With PDE 5 Inhibitor Tadalafil Improve Quality of Life in Male Patients With Compensated Chronic Liver Disease? A Prospective Pilot Study

Alok Kumar, V. Saraswat, Gaurav Pande, Rajesh Kumar

Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology, 2022

89 participants · 5 citations

Abstract

Background and aims

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is common in patients with compensated cirrhosis but its impact on the quality of life (QOL) is usually overlooked. This study aimed at determining the frequency of ED in male patients with compensated chronic liver disease (CLD), assessing their QOL and the response to treatment with tadalafil. A secondary aim was to assess the effect of the tadalafil therapy on liver fibrosis, if any.

Methods

Consecutive patients with compensated CLD and advanced liver fibrosis were screened at the baseline with the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), QOL questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), liver stiffness measurements (LSM) made with Fibroscan™ (Echosens, France), and fibrosis index based on 4 factors (FIB-4) scores. Patients with ED meeting eligibility criteria were prescribed PDE5 inhibitor tadalafil 20 mg on alternate days. During the follow-up, IIEF-5, LSM, and FIB-4 were monitored after 3 and 6 months while the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was administered at the baseline and at 6 months.

Results

Among 89 patients with CLD and advanced liver fibrosis, ED was present in 43 (48%) and tadalafil was prescribed to 34 patients (38%) meeting exclusion and inclusion criteria. At 3 months follow-up, the mean IIEF 5 score increased from 15.57 ± 4 to 20.78 ± 3.6, (P = 0.0001) and the improvement persisted at 6 months (IIEF-5 score 21.87 ± 2.2; P = 0.12). The physical, social relationships, and environment domains in the WHOQOL-BREF…

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