Treating erectile dysfunction with sildenafil alone versus combined with vitamin D3 in patients with low serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D3: a prospective randomized controlled open trial

This study aimed to compare the efficacy and risk of adverse events of sildenafil plus vitamin D3 versus sildenafil alone in improving erectile dysfunction (ED) in ED patients with low serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 (25-(OH)D3). The clinical data of ED patients with low serum 25-(OH)D3 treated at our center from December 2015 to December 2020 were retrieved, and the patients (n = 157) were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 80) or a control group (n = 77). The experimental group was treated with 1 capsule of vitamin D3 (400u) daily for a month and advised to use 100 mg sildenafil (po) within 1 hour before sexual intercourse, while the control group was only given 100 mg sildenafil (po) 1 hour before sexual intercourse. The indexes of international erectile function (IIEF-5), serum 25-(OH)D3 level, testosterone (T) level and adverse events between the two groups were compared before and after treatment. The results showed that the IIEF-5 values of the two groups were significantly higher after treatment than before treatment (p < 0.05). However, the serum levels of 25-(OH)D3 and T in the experimental group were significantly higher than before treatment (p < 0.05), while no significant differences were observed in the same markers in the control group before and after treatment (p > 0.05). The overall effective rate, serum 25-(OH)D3 level and T level in the experimental group were significantly higher than the control group (p < 0.05). During the treatment, no significant difference in adverse events was observed between the two groups (p > 0.05), which mostly comprised mild and tolerable headache, dyspepsia, back pain and muscle soreness, not requiring any medical intervention. Although both methods could effectively treat ED patients with low 25-(OH)D3, the efficacy of sildenafil plus vitamin D3 was significantly superior to sildenafil alone, and the adverse reactions are mild and tolerable, which is worthy of clinical application.

Sildenafil; Vitamin D3; Erectile dysfunction; 25-hydroxy vitamin D3

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