title: Varicocele is associated with erectile dysfunction: a population-based case-control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While many studies have been conducted investigating the efficacy of varicocele treatment on fertility, the literature is comparatively sparse concerning the association between varicocele, varicocelectomy, and erectile dysfunction (ED).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to estimate the associations between varicocele, varicocelectomy, and ED using a population-based dataset.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 in Taiwan. A total of 32,856 cases and 98,568 randomly selected controls were included in this study. Conditional logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations between ED and having been previously diagnosed with varicocele or having underwent a varicocelectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The odds of prior varicocele or having underwent a varicocelectomy between cases and controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the sampled patients, the prevalence of prior varicocele was 3.3% and 1.2% for cases and controls, respectively (P < 0.001). Conditional logistic regression analysis suggested that the odds ratio (OR) of being previously diagnosed with varicocele for cases was 3.09 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.67-3.49) when compared with controls after adjusting for monthly income, geographic location, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, hypogonadism, obesity, and alcohol abuse/alcohol dependence syndrome. Furthermore, cases were 1.92 (95% CI = 1.52-2.43) times more likely to have undergone a varicocelectomy than controls. Furthermore, subjects aged between 18 and 29 had the highest ORs for prior varicocele among cases when compared with controls (OR = 5.20; 95% CI = 3.27-8.28).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This investigation succeeded in identifying an association between both varicocele and ED. We also realized that varicocele patients who underwent a varicocelectomy had lower magnitudes of association with ED than those who did not.
authors.affiliation: School of Medical Laboratory Sciences and Biotechnology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Joseph J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Yi-Kuang
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Herng-Ching
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014646:Varicocele / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult