Association among metabolic syndrome, testosterone level and severity of erectile dysfunction.
The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and serum testosterone in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) and their possible association. A total of 103 men with ED were enrolled. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire was used to assess erectile condition. MS was defined according to the criteria formulated by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). The mean age of the study population was 57.5 +/- 10.7 years, with an average IIEF of 14.7 +/- 6.7. The age and prevalence of MS using the NCEP ATP III criteria, but not the IDF criteria, were significantly different between mild and moderate/severe ED patients (p = 0.031 and 0.009, respectively). The percentage of hypertension (78.6% vs. 36.2%; p < 0.001) and raised fasting glucose levels (46.4% vs. 19.1%; p = 0.004) were significantly higher in the moderate/severe ED group, and both differences remained significant in multivariate analysis (p = 0.001 and 0.042, respectively). In addition, serum testosterone levels were significantly lower in ED patients with MS (p = 0.002). In summary, the presence of MS is associated with more severe ED. Among the components of MS, elevated blood pressure and fasting blood glucose were independent risk factors. NCEP ATP III criteria seem to correlate better with the degree of ED than the IDF definition. Our results also indicate that MS is associated with a lower testosterone level in patients with ED.
Department of Urology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Hsin-Chih
HC
Yeh
Chii-Jye
CJ
Wang
Yung-Chin
YC
Lee
Hsi-Lin
HL
Hsiao
Wen-Jeng
WJ
Wu
Yii-Her
YH
Chou
Chun-Hsiung
CH
Huang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
D013739:Testosterone