title: Sildenafil improves erectile hardness in Chinese men with erectile dysfunction: a real-life study analyzed on age stratification.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the clinical efficacy of sildenafil for the improvement of penile erection hardness in erectile dysfunction (ED) patients and to determine the relationship between this improvement in erection hardness and social and psychological functioning.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 2007 to 2008, a total of 4507 men diagnosed with ED were enrolled from 46 centers in China; 4039 of these patients were treated with sildenafil and asked to complete the Erectile Function domain of the International Index of Erectile Function, Erection Hardness Score, and Quality of Erection Questionnaire. The patients were divided into 5 groups on the basis of their age (group A: 20-30 years; group B: 31-40 years; group C: 41-50 years; group D: 51-60 years; and group E: >60 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 3837 (95.0%) patients completed the entire study. After sildenafil treatment, the vast majority (96.3%) of the men were able to achieve grade 3-4 erection hardness. Patients with a better baseline erection hardness were more able to achieve grade 4 hardness after treatment (P <.001). Comparisons of the Erection Hardness Score improvement before and after treatment between the age-categorized groups also showed that the erection hardness improvement was much greater in men older than 50 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sildenafil can help the vast majority of Chinese ED patients achieve grade 3-4 erection hardness. Grade 4 hardness can improve the patients' sexual life to a greater extent than grade 3 hardness. A marked improvement in erection hardness can be achieved in patients older than 50 years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Defeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jichuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Chunhua
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China. Electronic address: huijiang_pku@sina.com.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010410:Penile Erection / Q000523:psychology; D058986:Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011687:Purines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D013450:Sulfones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D058986:Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors; D010879:Piperazines; D011687:Purines; D013450:Sulfones; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate