High prevalence of male hypogonadism and sexual dysfunction in long-term clinically stable heart transplantation recipients

摘要

The impact of gonadic and sexual function on male heart transplantation (HTX) recipients has been scarcely investigated so far. The aim of this observational study was a long-term evaluation of the gonadic and sexual function in male HTX recipients. A total of 52 patients, aged 20-78 years (mean +- SD: 54.2 +- 15.2) were included. The time interval elapsed since HTX was 88 +- 65.3 months (range 4-220). All recipients were clinically stable, with a mean left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) 57.9 +-5.8% (range 40-65) and NYHA class I (86.5%) or II (13.5%). Most (88.5%) were on anti-hypertensive drugs and all were treated with immunosuppres-sive therapy including calcineurin inhibitors (cyclosporine, everolimus), azathioprine or mycophenolate-mofetil. Thirty-four patients were also on low-dose prednisone. Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV)>grade 1 was detected at coronary artery angiography in 11 patients (21.2%) [1].