Should an inquiry about sexual health, as a reflection of vascular health, be part of routine physicals for young men? Results from an outpatient study

The objective of this study was to determine the cardiovascular risk factors among men with erectile dysfunction (ED) at a hospital-based primary care clinic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a primary care clinic in the King Khalid University Hospital (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), during the period from January to March 2009. Verbal consent was obtained from the attending patients. All patients attending a consultant primary care clinic were interviewed and asked about the presence of ED. Cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and smoking were determined during consultation. Data entry and analysis were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.5. A P -value