[Erectile dysfunction in renal failure patients and renal transplant recipients].

Abstract

The frequency of erectile dysfunction can be increased in certain populations, such as patients with renal failure in whom the incidence of erectile dysfunction is estimated to be between 50% to 70% depending on the stage of renal failure. In this population, even more than in the general population, erectile dysfunction appears to be due to multiple aetiologies, combining organic and psychological disorders. Although renal transplantation is the treatment of choice for end-stage renal failure, it appears to have very variable effects on erectile dysfunction, as it may improve erectile dysfunction in the same way as global quality of life. However, some authors have demonstrated the aggravating role of renal transplantation on quality of erection, or even de novo appearance of erectile dysfunction. Progress in the fields of dialysis and renal transplantation have considerably improved the quality of life of patients with chronic renal failure. However, this improvement of quality of life does not always concern the patient's sex life. The main causes of erectile dysfunction in haemodialysed patients are endocrine disorders, uraemic neuropathy, tissue lesions related to chronic renal failure, and drugs. These factors of erectile dysfunction are partially corrected by transplantation, but other factors can subsequently be involved, such as drugs or vascular causes. The objective of this study is therefore to conduct a review of the literature on erectile dysfunction (epidemiology, pathophysiology, treatment) in patients with end-stage renal failure (dialysis) and after renal transplantation.