title: Serum uric acid as a risk predictor for erectile dysfunction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Serum uric acid (UA) is now beginning to be considered a risk predictor for cardiovascular diseases. However, little is known about the effect of hyperuricemia on the risk of developing other systemic vascular disorders, especially erectile dysfunction (ED).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether serum UA is a predicting factor for ED while adjusting for other common risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred fifty-one patients aged 45.2 ± 10.1 years with newly diagnosed and documented ED and 252 age-matched participants without ED (aged 45.1 ± 8.4 years) were enrolled in this case-control study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to assess the effect of serum UA on ED; odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Adjustments were made for potential confounding factors, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, serum triglyceride, and smoking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum UA concentration and the distribution of potential ED risk factors (age, smoking, lipid profile, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes mellitus) were evaluated. Serum UA levels were organized into tertiles. The five-item International Index of Erectile Function was used to evaluate the presence and the severity of ED.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean serum UA levels in ED-positive and ED-negative groups were 6.12 ± 1.55 mg/dL and 4.97 ± 1.09 mg/dL, respectively (P < 0.001). On analysis of unadjusted variables, statistically significant differences were found for all variables, including serum UA, between ED-positive and ED-negative groups. After adjustment for major risk factors, a significant trend of increasing risk was found for serum UA concentration (OR 5.95, 95% CI 2.96-11.97; P < 0.001, comparing the highest with the lowest tertile). An increase of 1 mg/dL in serum UA level was associated with an approximately twofold increase in risk of ED (OR 2.07; 95% CI 1.63-2.64).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings reveal that serum UA can be considered a risk predictor for ED. Furthermore, hyperuricemia can be regarded as an independent risk factor in addition to the established ones.
authors.affiliation: Urology Research Center, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Urology Institute, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Department of Urology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Sepehr
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salem
authors.forename: Abdolrasoul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mehrsai
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heydari
authors.forename: Gholamreza
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pourmand
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D033461:Hyperuricemia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood*; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014527:Uric Acid
keywords: Cardiovascular Disease; Erectile Dysfunction; Metabolic Syndrome; Predicting Marker; Risk Factors; Serum Uric Acid