Erectile Dysfunction in Liver Transplant Patients

The objectives of the study were to determine the frequency of erectile dysfunction (ED) after liver transplantation (LT) and discuss potential risk factors. Of 123 eligible LT men, 98 (79.7%) responded to a questionnaire about sexual function at a mean time posttransplant of 5.4 +/- 4.0 years (1.0-21). Erection was evaluated using the five-question international index for erectile function score, and sexual satisfaction by the patient-baseline treatment-satisfaction status (TSS) score. Questions also focused on patient perception of changes overtime. We found that after LT, the proportion of sexually inactive men decreased from 29% to 15% (p = 0.01), but the proportion of men with ED remained unchanged. The absence of sexual activity was associated with pretransplant sexual inactivity (p = 0.001), age (p = 0.008), cardiovascular disease (p = 0.03), use of diuretics (p = 0.04), anticoagulants (p = 0.001), statins (p = 0.01) and treatment for diabetes (p = 0.03). Cardiovascular disease (p = 0.05), posttransplantation diabetes (p = 0.04), alcohol abuse (p = 0.03), antidepressants (p = 0.05) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (p = 0.05) were associated with having ED after LT. Having a low TSS score was associated with a history of endocrine disease (p = 0.03), antidepressants (p = 0.04) and diuretics (p = 0.03). In conclusion, LT improves sexual activity, but ED is multifactorial and remains a long-term condition in the majority of patients.