title: Assessing the Influence of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) on Erectile Dysfunction (ED) among patients in Poland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Erectile dysfunction (ED) and the lower urinary tract symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH) are highly prevalent among aging men. More data are needed from studies evaluating the impact of LUTS/BPH on ED. This study aimed to assess ED in patients with LUTS/BPH independent of comorbidities.
  
  
  METHODS
  During 2007 and 2008, we examined 10,932 patients aged 50 to 69 years with LUTS/BPH (IPSS = 8-19 points) using questionnaires: Sex-Score and International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF-5). Patients who used alcohol and/or cigarettes and those with hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia and cholesterolemia were excluded from meta analyses, which left 4,354 patients with LUTS/BPH without any comorbidity for the analyses. The main survey instruments used were the Sex-Score and IIEF-5.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regarding sexual coexistence, 1,497 (34.4%) and 2,638 (60.6%) patients considered it very important or important respectively; however, 219(5%) patients reported no sexual activity. After excluding sexually inactive patients, only 1,088 (25%) patients had the ability to obtain an erection during sexual activity always or nearly always. However, that erection was only strong enough to penetrate their partner almost always or most of the time in 218 (5%) and 826 (19%) patients respectively and only 610 (14%) patients were always able to maintain their erection during sexual intercourse. While only 87 (2%) patients had no difficulty maintaining their erection until the completion of intercourse, 174 (4%) and 914 (21%) patients stated that sexual intercourse gave satisfaction nearly always or most of the time respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The impact of ED on patients with LUTS/BPH is evident across domains.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prevention and Epidemiology of Neoplasms, Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, J. Kochanowski University, Kielce ; Department of Urology, E. Michałowski Urological Hospital, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Sławomir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dutkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Prevention and Epidemiology of Neoplasms, Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, J. Kochanowski University, Kielce.
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Skawiński
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, E. Michałowski Urological Hospital, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Wiesław
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Duda
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, E. Michałowski Urological Hospital, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duda
keywords: International Index of Erectile Function 5; International Prostate Symptom Score; benign prostatic hyperplasia; erectile dysfunction; lower urinary tract symptoms