Nebivolol versus other beta blockers in patients with hypertension and erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) impacts over 100 million men worldwide and occurs at a higher incidence in men with hypertension. Beta blockers are one of several antihypertensive drug classes associated with ED. Nebivolol is a beta blocker with vasodilating properties mediated through endothelial release of nitric oxide which facilitates penile erection. Thus, nebivolol may offer an advantage over other beta blockers in the patient with hypertension and ED. A literature search comparing nebivolol with other beta blockers identified four European studies of limited duration, with the longest study being 28 weeks. Survey scores for erectile function showed significant improvement in erectile function with nebivolol in two of the studies, while the other two studies showed erectile function did not significantly worsen with nebivolol as compared with other beta blocker agents. One study showed improved erectile function scores, possibly due to the presence of a Hawthorne effect. Based on this small sample of studies, nebivolol may be of use in the patient with or at risk of developing ED, when a practitioner specifically wants to use a beta blocker as add-on antihypertensive treatment.