Evaluation and Management of Erectile Dysfunction in the Hypertensive Patient.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The prevalence of hypertension and erectile dysfunction has steadily increased, and greater than 40% of men with erectile dysfunction concurrently share a diagnosis of hypertension. The treatment of the patient with both diseases poses a clinical challenge as both are closely correlated and share multiple overlapping risk factors.To address the recognized knowledge gap among clinicians who care for these patients, we will review the current literature on the diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction in the hypertensive patient and will provide recommendations for the management of this challenging patient population. RECENT FINDINGS: The pharmacological treatment of hypertension may adversely affect sexual function, and certain treatments for erectile dysfunction are contraindicated or cautioned against with certain antihypertensive agents. In review of the literature, we find that the clinician should opt to use an angiotensin-receptor blocker followed by an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or calcium channel blocker for the treatment of hypertension in patients with erectile dysfunction. Other agents require careful consideration for adverse effects on sexual function. Men with erectile dysfunction should be assessed for cardiovascular fitness for sexual activity, and PDE-5 inhibitors remain the first-line treatment for erectile dysfunction.

Effects of metformin on endothelial health and erectile dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects approximately 18 million American men. ED may be attributed to several etiologies, including arteriogenic, psychogenic, neurogenic, hormonal, drug-induced, and systemic disease or aging related factors. Specific to arteriogenic ED, three major mechanisms have been identified: (I) endothelium-dependent vasodilatory impairment; (II) sympathetic nerve activity elevation; (III) atherosclerotic luminal narrowing. Additionally, these insults have been linked to the insulin resistant state, which in turn is comorbid with obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and hypertension. In this review, we summarize the evidence regarding the impact of metformin-an insulin sensitizer-on the three mechanisms of arteriogenic ED. We report that metformin treatment positively affects two of three pathways, specifically through enhanced endothelium-dependent vasodilation and sympathetic nerve activity attenuation, but does not seem to have a significant impact on hypertension regulation. Given the encouraging data found in both animal and clinical studies, we advocate for further studies on metformin use in ED.

Patient-centric medical notes: Identifying areas for improvement in the age of open medical records.

OBJECTIVE: Patients are increasingly provided facilitated access to their medical notes. Physicians have reported concerns that patients will find notes confusing and offensive, and that typographical errors will appear unprofessional. This exploratory study quantifies the prevalence of potentially confusing or offensive medical language and typographic errors within notes. METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective, cross-sectional review of 400 inpatient History and Physical notes from a tertiary care center. All notes were from admissions to general internal medicine services. Words and phrases of interest were codified into five pre-established categories and subdivisions. RESULTS: Of 400 notes, 337 notes written by residents and hospitalists were analyzed. The most prevalent characteristics identified per note were General Medical Acronyms (99.1%), Medical Jargon (96.7%), and Typographical Errors (49%). Residents used a greater number of acronyms and abbreviations (p<0.01). All subdivisions within Subjective Descriptors and Mental and Personal Health appeared in less than 20% of notes. CONCLUSION: While the place of medical shorthand, jargon, and sensitive history in the note is unlikely to change in the near future, this study identifies typographical errors as a modifiable area for improvement. The examination of medical note language may prove beneficial to the patient-physician relationship in the digital era.