Male erectile dysfunction: its prevalence in Western australia and associated sociodemographic factors.
BACKGROUND
This is a report of a population-based cross-sectional observational study in Western Australia (WA) on male erectile dysfunction (ED).


OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence of ED in WA and to examine its associated sociodemographic factors.


METHODS
Postal questionnaires were sent to randomly selected age-stratified male population samples obtained from the WA Electoral Roll.


METHODS
In addition to items covering sociodemographic and clinical information, the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO), the Socioeconomic Index for Area (SEIFA), and the 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) were used.


RESULTS
One thousand seven hundred seventy (41.9%) of 4,228 questionnaires were returned. One thousand five hundred eighty (89.3%) were completed questionnaires from men aged 20.1 to 99.6 years (mean 57.9, median 59.1, standard deviation 18.5). The prevalences of any ED and of severe ED among adult males in WA, adjusted for age distribution, were 25.1 and 8.5%, respectively. Standardized to World Health Organization (WHO) World Standard Population, the corresponding prevalences were 23.4 and 7.4%. Prevalence, as well as severity, of ED increased with age. Thirty-eight percent of the participants who were married or had partners experienced ED (severe ED 19.1%). The prevalence of ED was not significantly different between "white-collar" and "blue-collar" workers. Despite the great majority of the affected participants having experienced ED for >1 year, only 14.1% reported having ever received any treatment for ED.


CONCLUSIONS
The study has provided population-based epidemiological data on ED in Western Australian men covering a wide range of ages. The finding that ED is age related, highly prevalent, and grossly underdiagnosed and undertreated is pertinent to global population aging and a rapidly aging Australian population. To facilitate comparisons across populations with different age distributions, all future population-based studies on ED should be standardized to WHO World Standard Population.
Chew
Kew-Kim
KK
Keogh Institute for Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia. kewkimchew@hotmail.com
Stuckey
Bronwyn
B
Bremner
Alexandra
A
Earle
Carolyn
C
Jamrozik
Konrad
K
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054526:Men's Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology