Priapism ups risk of cardio/cerebrovascular events in men

Priapism, a debilitating condition that affects sexual function, predisposes men to greater cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in the years following this penile condition, reveals a recent study.

A team of investigators sought to determine if men were at risk for other sequelae of vascular dysfunction such as cardiovascular and thromboembolic disease after a priapism event. They assessed all men (aged ≥20 years) who were diagnosed with priapism from 2003 to 2020 using a large commercial insurance claims data warehouse.

Patients were matched to a cohort of men with other urological disorders of sexual dysfunction (eg, erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease, and premature ejaculation). Finally, the investigators identified incidence disease (ie, cardiovascular disease, heart disease, embolism, thrombosis, cerebrovascular disease) for all cohorts.

Overall, 10,459 men with priapism (mean age 51.1 years) were identified and matched to other men with erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease, or premature ejaculation.

Men with priapism had a higher incidence of heart disease, both ischaemic (hazard ratio [HR], 1.24, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.09‒1.42) and other heart disease (HR, 1.24, 95 percent CI, 1.12‒1.38) in the years following the priapism diagnosis. Those with a history of this condition also had a higher incidence of cerebrovascular disease (HR, 1.33, 95 percent CI, 1.15‒1.55).

Of note, men who needed treatment for ischaemic priapism were more likely to develop cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Furthermore, men with more priapism showed a higher rate of cardiovascular disease and thromboembolic events.