Effects of Sildenafil on spirometric pulmonary function parameters, pulmonary artery systolic pressure and BNP levels in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and erectile dysfunction

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the effects of Sildenafil on pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) as well as forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) and serum brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with erectile dysfunction (ED). This was a prospective non-controlled interventional study that recruited COPD patients with ED between the ages of 49 and 79. International Index of Erectile Dysfunction Form (IIEF-5) was used for the evaluation of ED. Patients who had pulmonary artery systolic pressure >50 mmHg were included in the study. Single-dose Sildenafil 100 mg was administered orally to the patients. Before and after the drug ingestion, spirometry and echocardiographic measurements were performed, and serum BNP levels were measured as well. Forty-five male COPD patients with ED were included. Both percent predicted, and absolute FEV1 values increased significantly after the Sildenafil administration compared with baseline values (p<0.01). Similarly, the FEV1/FVC ratio also increased significantly with the Sildenafil administration compared to baseline values (p<0.01). Pulmonary artery systolic pressure significantly decreased from its baseline value with Sildenafil administration (p<0.01). Serum BNP values significantly reduced with Sildenafil administration compared to the pre-treatment values (p<0.01). This is the first study conducted in COPD patients with erectile dysfunction who had also pulmonary hypertension. The single-dose Sildenafil administration reduced PASP and serum BNP levels significantly. For the first time in the literature, we showed that the spirometric pulmonary function tests, namely FEV1 and FEV1/FVC ratio, improved significantly with the Sildenafil administration.