Physical Exercise in the Management of Erectile Dysfunction in Patients with Heart Failure

ABSTRACT

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a highly prevalent problem that affects the quality of life, prognosis and survival of patients with heart failure (HF). In the management of ED, physical exercise is a therapeutic strategy that reduces disease-related symptoms and optimizes drug use. However, the repercussions of physical exercise on ED in individuals with HF still need to be elucidated. In this sense, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of physical exercise on erectile function (EF) in HF patients. This was a systematic review conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Patients with HF, male and ejection fraction ≤ 45% were submitted to physical exercise of different modalities. The search for scientific articles was conducted in the electronic databases (PubMed, LILACS, Cochrane-Library, Science Direct) from the inception until October 2018, according to the MeSH dictionary descriptors, which were suitable for all databases. Results: Three studies were analyzed, includinng 99 male subjects, age ranging from 53 years (± 7.48) to 58 years (± 12). Seventy subjects were submitted to a physical exercise program and 29 were in the control group. In all studies, physical exercise showed positive results in the management of ED regardless of erectile dysfunction (ED) classification status and intensity of exercise used. It was concluded that physical exercise of different intensities was considered an effective therapeutic intervention to improve EF in individuals with HF and ED