Erectile dysfunction in COPD patients

Abstract

Sexual dysfunction is a common problem in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to assess the presence of erectile dysfunction (ED) in COPD patients. Ninety-three outpatients who had been diagnosed as COPD and followed in Bolvadin State Hospital, Afyon, Turkey, were included in the study. All patients underwent pulmonary function tests and arterial blood gas analysis. They completed International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Medical Research Council (MRC) Dyspnea Scale, Short Form 36-item Scale (SF-36), and International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) Questionnaire. The mean age of 10 (10.8%) mild, 46 (49.5%) moderate, 28 (30.1%) severe, and 9 (9.7%) very severe COPD patients was 61.4 + 9.8 years. Varying degrees of ED were detected in 67.7% of COPD patients. All patients with hypoxemia had ED. IPAQ score and all SF-36 parameters were low in patients with ED, while MRC score was high. Forced expiratory volume in one second, forced vital capacity, partial pressure of oxygen in blood, oxygen (O 2 ) saturation, IPAQ score, and role-physical parameters were statistically low in ED patients (p ¼ 0.04, 0.02, <0.01, <0.01, 0.02, and 0.04, respectively); MRC score was statistically higher in patients with ED (p ¼ 0.02). Patients with moderate and severe ED had statistically lower score of mental health (p < 0.01 and p ¼ 0.02, respectively). There was a positive correlation between IIEF score and IPAQ scores (p < 0.01), MRC scores (p ¼ 0.01), general health (p < 0.01), role-physical (p < 0.01), role-emotional (p < 0.01), physical functioning (p < 0.01), and mental health (p < 0.01) parameters in SF-36. ED is frequently seen in COPD patients. Hypoxemia, smoking, and limitation of physical activity are thought to be associated with ED in COPD as mechanisms. Quality of life and the functional capacity are negatively affected with the presence of ED. It is important for a physician to question the sexual functions in patients with COPD. The presence of ED may be routinely considered in the daily practice of pulmonologists in COPD patients. Keywords COPD, sexual functions, erectile dysfunction IntroductıonSince chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic disease of middle-aged or older people, comorbidities are frequently seen. With decreasing sexual interest, testosterone levels and sexual function by aging, and the presence of chronic illnesses, erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of these comorbid diseases.ED is a frequent type of sexual dysfunction among mature and aging men, which is characterized by the inability to have an erection during sexual activity. A broad-based public study (Massachusetts Male Aging Study) revealed an ED prevalence as high as 52% in males between the fourth and seventh decade of life.1 Dunn et al. demonstrated that 34% of males (mean age 50) within the general population complained about sexual problems and the most common complaint was ED.2 Both studies showed that ED prevalence increases with age.The mechanism of ED is not exactly clarified in...

Erectile dysfunction in cirrhosis is impacted by liver dysfunction, portal hypertension, diabetes and arterial hypertension

“…Studies evaluating sexual dysfunction before and after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) found controversial results and the prevalence seems to be similar to prior OLT . Arterial hypertension and diabetes have been previously associated with ED and also studies in other chronic disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease found high prevalence rates . Depression and low HRQOL were associated with ED in chronic hepatitis C patients and we could show in our cohort that low libido, most likely owing to the burden of the disease, is significantly decreased in patients with ED.…”

<p>Erectile Dysfunction After Surgical Treatment of Lung Cancer: Real-World Evidence</p>

“…ED is associated with increased emergency and hospital admissions in patients with COPD. 29 Previous studies showed the association of ED with the risk and severity of COPD, 30 CAD, 31 and stroke. 32 A higher incidence of ER visits was observed in lung cancer patients with ED compared to those without ED in our study and we hypothesized that this may be due to the increased associated comorbidities including COPD, CAD, stroke and other diseases in this group of patients.…”

Progression of erectile function in men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a cohort study

“…The ultimate goal of health management for patients with COPD is to improve their QoL, a major subjective marker of health status that is used to assess the effects of treatment and interventions [3, 6]. Men exhibit an increased prevalence of COPD after 60 years of age [7, 8], and sexual function is a QoL aspect that is markedly affected in men with COPD [9, 10]. The mechanism underlying sexual dysfunction in COPD patients is not yet fully understood.…”

“…Despite these detrimental consequences, the effect of COPD on erectile function in men is underappreciated in clinical practice, partly because patients often feel uncomfortable talking about their erectile function with healthcare providers [7, 9, 10]. In Korea and other Asian countries, discussion of sexual issues is a cultural taboo: only 2% of men and women in Korea discuss their sexual health problems with medical personnel [13].…”

“…Sexual function is an indicator of health and QoL, and it changes over time. However, previous studies have primarily investigated the prevalence of erectile or sexual function and the correlations with patient characteristics [9, 10, 17]. Furthermore, most of these studies were cross-sectional; therefore, researchers cannot fully explain how patient characteristics affect progression in erectile function.…”