Bushen Huoxue Decoction improving erectile function in patients with coronary heart disease

Objective To explore the effect of Bushen Huoxue Decoction on erectile dysfunction in patients with coronary heart disease. Methods We studied 56 patients with stable coronary heart disease, in which the International Index of Erectile Function-5 test (IIEF-5) ≤ 21 points. According to IIEF-5 score, the contrast group was established and then all the patients were randomly assigned to receive conventional western medicine (control group) or combination of western medicine with Bushen Huoxue Decoction (treatment group) for 12 weeks in paired data. We compared the IIEF-5 score between the two groups of patients in the end of the study. Results There was no difference between the treatment group and the control group in age, the morbidity of hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia and drugs. The median IIEF-5 score of the two groups was 16 (5 in interquartile range). After treatment, the median IIEF-5 score of the control group was 17.5 (5 in interquartile range), which showed statistically significance from baseline (Z = -2.308, P = 0.021). The median IIEF-5 score of the treatment group was 19 (5 in interquartile range), which also showed statistically significance from baseline (Z = -3.997, P = 0.000). At the end of 12 weeks, the median IIEF-5 score showed statistically significance between the two groups (Z = -2.744, P = 0.006). The recovery rate in the treatment group was 39.3% (11/28), and that of the control group was 10.7% (3/28) (χ2 = 0.096, P = 0.039). Conclusion Bushen Huoxue Decoction is effective for erectile dysfunction (ED) in patients with coronary heart disease. Key words: Coronary heart disease; Erectile dysfunction; Bushen Huoxue Decoction; Treatment