How Serious Is Erectile Dysfunction in Men's Lives? Comparative Data From Korean Adults

Abstract

PurposeWhereas sexual function has long been assumed to be an important component of adult men's lives, the impact of sexual dysfunction has not been estimated in parallel to other modern disease entities. We compared the seriousness of erectile dysfunction (ED) with that of other diseases by use of self-administered questionnaires.Materials and MethodsBetween January 2012 and July 2012, 434 healthy male volunteers (group 1) and 263 ED patients (group 2) were enrolled. The questionnaire consisted of the following: "If you must undergo only one disease in all your life, which disease could you select among these items or ED?" The comparative disease entities included hypertension, diabetes mellitus (oral hypoglycemic agent/insulin injection), hemodialysis, myocardial infarction, herpes zoster, chronic sinusitis, chronic otitis media, gastric cancer (early/late), lung cancer (early/late), liver cancer (early/late), and dementia.ResultsGroup 1 recognized ED as being a more serious disease than hypertension, diabetes mellitus (oral hypoglycemic agent), herpes zoster, chronic sinusitis, and chronic otitis media. In comparison, group 2 recognized ED as being a more serious condition than diabetes mellitus (insulin injection) and dementia (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). In particular, ED was deemed to be more serious than hemodialysis, gastric cancer (early), lung cancer (early), and liver cancer (early) by men in group 2 in their 30s to 40s, and these results were statistically significant compared with the same age subgroups in group 1 (p<0.001, p<0.007, p<0.02, and p<0.007, respectively).ConclusionsIn contrast with their healthy counterparts, Korean men with ED recognized ED as being as serious as hemodialysis, dementia, and early stage cancer, which reflects the severe bother of ED in Korean patients.

Daily use of sildenafil 50mg at night effectively ameliorates nocturia in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia: an exploratory multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study

“…The prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) increase with age [1,2]. Both conditions are frequently progressive, negatively affect quality of life [3][4][5], and even cause depression [6,7]. In clinic, elderly men complaining lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) often have not only BPH, but also ED [8,9].…”

Erectile Dysfunction as an Early Marker of Elevated Blood Glucose Levels and Blood Pressure in Malawian Men in a Rural Setting

“…Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is when a man is unable to get or keep an erection that allows sexual activity with penetration [1]. Erectile dysfunction is a common problem that needs medical attention and should never be ignored.…”