Male and female sexual dysfunction: is hypertension an innocent bystander or a major contributor?

Sexual dysfunction represents a major quality-of-life-related health problem, and available data indicate that essential hypertension is a risk factor for sexual dysfunction in both men and women. Male and female sexual dysfunc-tion is more prevalent in hypertensive than normotensive individuals, and several mechanisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of sexual dysfunction in hypertensive patients. Several factors affect the sexual function of hypertensive function, such as severity and duration of hypertension, age, and antihypertensive therapy. Older antihypertensive drugs (diuretics, ß-blockers, centrally acting) exert negative results while never drugs have either neutral (Ca-antagonists, ACE-inhibitors) or beneficial effects (angiotensin receptor blockers). Female sexual dysfunction, although more frequent than the male one, remains largely underinvestigated possibly due to the lack of effective treatment. A better understanding of sexual functioning and appropriate education of doctors at medi-cal schools and specific seminars would result in a more effective approach of sexual dysfunction by practitioners dealing with hypertensive patients. KEy wORDS Erectile dysfunction, female sexual dysfunction, essentia