title: The associations among eNOS G894T gene polymorphism, erectile dysfunction and related risk factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the possible correlations among eNOS G894T polymorphism, erectile dysfunction (ED) and related risk factors in a Taiwanese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  In all, 151 patients with ED and 77 healthy controls were enrolled. All the men had a complete clinical history taken and laboratory data was collected. To assess erectile conditions the five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) was used. The eNOS G894T polymorphisms were determined using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 228 men were enrolled with a mean (sd) age of 58.6 (9.7) years. In a univariate analysis, age, serum testosterone level, and the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension were significantly different between patients with ED and the healthy controls (P < 0.01). In the multiple logistic regression analysis, DM, age and hypogonadism were three independent risk factors for ED (P = 0.018, P = 0.046 and P = 0.016, respectively). The prevalence of ED in T allele carriers (GT/TT) was significantly greater than in G allele carriers (GG; 80.0% vs 63.3%, P = 0.04). Also the eNOS 894T allele carriers had significantly lower IIEF-5 scores than the eNOS 894G allele carriers, at 13.2 (5.3) vs 15.7 (6.1) (P = 0.01) and it was associated with increment of T allele number (11.0 (5.6) vs 13.6 (5.2) vs 15.7 (6.1); P = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that DM, age and hypoganadism are three significant independent risk factors for ED. Also, in the Taiwanese population, the eNOS 894T allele carriers are at greater risk of ED, both in prevalence and severity, and this might be a factor of genetic susceptibility.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Urology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, and Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yung-Chin
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chun-Hsiung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Chii-Jye
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chia-Chu
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wen-Jeng
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lin-Li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Hui-Hui
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007006:Hypogonadism / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000378:metabolism*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; C496314:NOS3 protein, human; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III