Genetic Prediction of Erectile Dysfunction Caused by Statins Among Malaysian Cardiac Patients

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a significant disorder commonly found in patients with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. Recent updates have indicated that statins may also contribute to an increased risk of ED. This cross-sectional genetic study involved 246 cardiac patients attending normal visits at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Kubang Kerian outpatient clinics. The patients were categorized into four groups: statins with ED (group 1), statins without ED (group 2), diabetes with statin without ED (group 3), and healthy patients without diabetes mellitus and statin use (group 4). Six genes were hypothesized to influence ED: <i>CYP19A1</i>, <i>CYP17A1</i>, <i>SIM1</i>, <i>TP53</i>, <i>NR2F2</i>, and <i>NOS3</i>, with different polymorphisms and variants investigated in this study. Overall, statin therapy was found to have a negative impact on ED by affecting <i>NR2F2-AS1</i> and <i>NOS3</i>. However, atorvastatin showed varying effects on ED for all genes, with the highest impact observed with <i>CYP17A1</i> and the lowest with <i>CYP19A1</i>. In conclusion, this study revealed novel findings related to genetic factors influencing ED in Malaysian males during statin use.