Lipitor significantly worsens erectile dysfunction

This study was published in Kardiologia Polska 2013 Oct 21

Study title and authors:
The effect of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin on erectile dysfunction in hypercholesterolemic patients.

Nurkalem Z, Yıldırımtürk O, Ozcan KS, Kul S, Canga Y, Satılmış S, Bozbeyoğlu E, Kaya C.
Siyami Ersek Training and research hospital department of cardiology. serhandr@gmail.com.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24142756

The IIEF-5 (International Index of Erectile Function-5) is an international questionnaire for identifying erectile dysfunction. A low score represents severe erectile dysfunction, whereas higher scores indicate better erectile function.

The aim of this study was to evaluate effect of different statin types on erectile dysfunction in "patients" with "high" cholesterol. The study lasted for six months and included 90 healthy men, (average age 50 years), with low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels above 160mg/dL (4.1 mmol/l). Patients were divided into two different groups. One group received rosuvastatin while the other group was given atorvastatin.

The study found:
(a) The IIEF-5 scores of men taking rosuvastatin (Crestor) decreased by .4%.
(b) The IIEF-5 scores of men taking atorvastatin (Lipitor) decreased significantly by 8.5%.

The results of the study reveal Lipitor significantly worsens erectile dysfunction.