Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is common in the chronic hemodialysis population and has a negative impact on their quality of life. Our study aimed to assess the prevalence of ED and its psychosocial impact, and to identify its main associated factors.
Patients and methods:We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study in two centers in Senegal, including all adult male patients who underwent more than three months of haemodialysis and had freely consented to answer the questionnaire items. The assessment of erectile function was based on a self-administered questionnaire including the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). The diagnosis of erectile dysfunction was made in any patient with an IIEF-5 score between 5 and 20.Results: Forty patients participated in the study. The mean age was 51.43 ± 12.84 years. The main causes of nephropathy were chronic hypertension (47.5%) and undetermined hypertension (27.5%). The mean duration of haemodialysis was 45.21 ± 41.96 months. The mean IIEF5 score was 15.0 ± 4.8. The prevalence of ED was 87.5% and mainly of moderate grade in 37.5% and mild in 30%. Rapid ejaculation was noted in 71.4% (25/35) and 28.57% of patients had expressed a desire for andrology consultation. Among the patients with ED, only 6 (17.14%) had expressed a desire to consult a psychologist. The use of pro-erecting drugs was observed in 42.5% and sildenafil was used in 64.7% and herbal medicine in 23.5%. ED was associated with age (p=0.043), haemoglobin level (p=0.034) and serum cholesterol level (0.027).
Conclusion:We found a high prevalence of ED in our study and better knowledge of risk factors can improve management.