Male sexual dysfunction associated with coronary heart disease.

A pilot study of 18 males (age range 38-68) hospitalized for an acute myocardial infarction (MI) revealed that 44% were impotent and 28% had had premature ejaculation prior to the MI. A subsequent research project is the basis of this article. During a 10-month period, 131 male patients (age range 31-86), while hospitalized for an acute MI, were interviewed about their pre-MI sexual functioning. Two-thirds of the males had--by their own definition--a significant sexual problem. Among the sexually dysfunctional group, 64% were impotent, 28% had a significant (greater than 50%) decrease in sexual frequency, and 8% had premature ejaculation. No adverse side effects occurred from a detailed sexual history being taken while the male was recovering from an acute MI. One implication for cardiac rehabilitation is that returning to the pre-MI level of sexual functioning is not enough.