The Dutch cohort of sildenafil users: baseline characteristics

Objective To identify a Dutch cohort of sildenafil users and describe their baseline characteristics. Patients and methods Each pharmacy in The Netherlands (n=1571) was asked to identify prospectively the first 20 sildenafil prescriptions in their phar macy over 1 year, and to complete and return a registration form. The colle cted data included patient characteristics, the details of the sildenafil p rescription (date, prescriber, number of prescriptions, dosing), and the us e of co-medication by the patient in the year preceding the sildenafil pres cription. Results Data were collected from 4460 sildenafil prescriptions during the y ear under study, relating to 3477 individual patients. Most of the cohort h ad cardiovascular morbidity or diabetes. Sildenafil seems to have been used by a new. previously untreated population of patients with erectile dysfun ction. In addition, 69 men were identified who could have been using nitrat es and sildenafil concomitantly. Conclusion A cohort of patients using sildenafil was identified and charact erized: they appeared to be representative of sildenafil users in The Nethe rlands. This cohort will be followed prospectively to evaluate the medical status (particularly cardiovascular) of the patients with time.