Sympathetic Skin Response in Patients with Vascular Erectile Dysfunction

Abstract

PurposeWe aimed to investigate the utility of sympathetic skin response (SSR) test for evaluating vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (ED) which is the most common type of impotence.Materials and MethodsMen in the age group of 28 to 60 years and suffering from vasculogenic ED, as confirmed by a papaverin test and color Doppler sonography, at least for 6 months referred from our university urology department were included. We used the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) for grading severity of dysfunction and recorded the SSR of every patient from the median, tibial, and dorsal nerves of the penis. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used for comparing quantitative variables, and Fisher's Exact test was used for comparing qualitative variables. The Mann-Whitney U Test and the Kruskal-Wallis test were performed for analysis of data that were not normally distributed. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.ResultsForty-two patients were recruited for the study. We found a strong statistical relationship between the IIEF score and the pathologic SSR registered from every mentioned nerve. Patients with abnormal SSR had more severe ED according to IIEF score (p<0.001). In addition, the IIEF score had a significantcorrelation with diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease (t-test; p<0.05).ConclusionsOur results confirmed the presence of autonomic dysfunction in patients with vasculogenic impotence via an SSR test. We suggest evaluating the efficacy of the SSR test in patients with vascular impotence for treatment response monitoring in future studies.

Pengaruh Diabetes Mellitus Terhadap Kejadian Disfungsi Ereksi

“…Pasien DM dalam sampel memiliki tingkat abnormalitas atau ketiadaan SSR yang lebih tinggi yang dicatat dari saraf medianus dan tibialis daripada pasien non-DM. 9 SSR adalah perubahan potensi kulit setelah rangsangan gairah. Hal ini merupakan refleks polisinaps dan jalur eferen yang melibatkan serat sudomotor simpatis pra dan postganglionik dan akhirnya dapat mengaktivasi kelenjar keringat oleh aliran simpatis.…”

The Effects of the Autonomic Nervous System on Urogenital Disorders

“…The deterioration of the function of a structure also leads to the inevitable impairment of the adjacent structures [35]. Erectile dysfunction is characterized by ANS imbalance/dysfunction and SNS hyperactivity [36][37][38]. In normal conditions, ejaculation is maintained by SNS, however premature ejaculation is also associated with SNS hyperactivity like erectile dysfunction [39].…”

Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction Is Related to Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

“…Moreover, the cardiovascular system and male reproductive function are altered in CP/CPPS as well as patients with vasogenic impotence have autonomic dysfunction [ 10 ]. In addition, some studies elucidated that central sensitization also played an essential role in developing and maintaining chronic pain in the case of perpetual pain without inflammatory conditions [ 6 ].…”