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 pharmacy over 1 year, and to complete and return a registration form. The collected data included patient characteristics, the details of the sildenafil prescription (date, prescriber, number of prescriptions, dosing), and the use of co-medication by the patient in the year preceding the sildenafil prescription.
Results: Data were collected from 4460 sildenafil prescriptions during the year under study, relating to 3477 individual patients. Most of the cohort had cardiovascular morbidity or diabetes. Sildenafil seems to have been used by a new, previously untreated population of patients with erectile dysfunction. In addition, 69 men were identified who could have been using nitrates and sildenafil concomitantly.
Conclusion: A cohort of patients using sildenafil was identified and characterized; they appeared to be representative of sildenafil users in The Netherlands. This cohort will be followed prospectively to evaluate the medical status (particularly cardiovascular) of the patients with time.