Vascular Health and Risk Management (Nov 2023)
Relationship Between Hypertension, Antihypertensive Drugs and Sexual Dysfunction in Men and Women: A Literature Review
Abstract
Inmaculada Xu Lou,1,2,* Jiayue Chen,2,3,* Kamran Ali,4,* Qilan Chen2 1Department of Cardiology, International Education College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310053, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiology, Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310025, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Cardiology, Hangzhou Clinical Medical College Internal Medicine of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310053, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Oncology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, International Institutes of Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, Zhejiang, 322000, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Qilan Chen, Department of Cardiology, Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310025, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: Sexual dysfunction pertains to any issue that hinders an individual from attaining sexual contentment. This health issue can have a significant impact on the quality of life and psychological health of affected individuals. Sexual dysfunction can generate stress, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, which can lead to a reduction in overall life satisfaction and the quality of interpersonal relationships. Sexual dysfunction can manifest as erectile dysfunction in men or lack of sexual desire in women. Although both sexes can experience sexual problems, there are some significant differences in the manifestation of sexual dysfunction between men and women. In men, sexual dysfunction is usually physical and associated with problems such as erectile dysfunction, while in women, sexual dysfunction is usually related to psychological factors. Additionally, there was an association between hypertension and sexual dysfunction in both the sexes. In men, hypertension can cause erection problems, whereas in women, it can cause vaginal dryness and a decrease in sexual desire. Furthermore, antihypertensive drugs can negatively impact sexual function, which can decrease adherence to drug treatment. However, nebivolol, an antihypertensive drug, has beneficial effects on erectile dysfunction in men. This is believed to be because nebivolol improves blood flow to the penis by producing nitric oxide, which can help improve erections.Keywords: sexual dysfunction, hypertension, antihypertensive drugs, erectile dysfunction, beta-blockers, nebivolol
