The Analysis of Preference for Three PDE-5 Inhibitors / 대한남성과학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the preference factors for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) with three different kinds of PDE-5 inhibitors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective, open-label study recruited 140 patients from 5 medical centers and urological clinics in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk area of South Korea. All patients underwent sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil therapy with at least four attempts at sexual intercourse for each medication. There was a 1-week drug washout period following each medication period. Patients were asked to state their preference among the three medications. RESULTS: The mean age of the 140 patients was 50.9 years. Most patients had mild-to-moderate ED(57 patients, 40.7%) and moderate ED(47 patients, 33.6%), the remaining patients had mild(23 patients, 16.4%) or severe ED (13 patients, 9.3%). Of 140 evaluated patients, 58(41.3%) patients preferred treatment with tadalafil, compared with 39(28.1%) with sildenafil and 37(26.6%) with vardenafil. When grouped by age, tadalafil was most preferred by men in their 30s and 40s(42.9%, 57.5%), sildenafil was preferred by those in their 50s(48.3%), and vardenafil was preferred by those in their 60s(51.6%). The reasons for specific preferences were prolonged erectile function (68.0%) and good erectile function(66.0%) for tadalafil, good erectile function (88.2%) for the sildenafil, and good rigidity of the erect penis(59.4%) for vardenafil. CONCLUSIONS: Tadalafil was most preferred among the phosphodiesterase inhibitors, but the preference rates varied for men of different ages. All the medications were well tolerated.