title: Erectile dysfunction in Arab countries. Part II: Diagnosis and treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review local published data on the diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) in Arab countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  MEDLINE was searched for English-language articles published from 2000 to 2011, using the search terms 'Arab countries', 'sexual dysfunction', 'diagnosis' and 'treatment'.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 86 articles were found to be relevant to this review; only a few had a high level of evidence and the remaining studies used an uncontrolled design. Several local studies were consistent with previous reports showing that a customised diagnostic pathway, with full consideration of the patient's goals, is adopted by most clinicians to treat ED. For an effective treatment, the evaluation methods should answer important questions about the aetiology and severity of ED, as well as the patient's and partner's goals and expectations. As ED is known to be associated with many common medical comorbidities and medications, careful questioning can yield information about peripheral vascular disease, coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and tobacco and alcohol use. The presence of psychological, neurological or chronic debilitating diseases can direct further evaluation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The methods used for the diagnosis and treatment of ED need more investigation, especially in Arab countries. Only a few studies addressed the results of different methods of investigating and treating ED among Arab men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ahmed I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: El-Sakka
keywords: Arab countries; DM, diabetes mellitus; Diagnosis; ED, erectile dysfunction; EECP, enhanced external counterpulsation; IHD, ischaemic heart disease; IIEF, International Index of Erectile Function; PDE-5, phosphodiesterase-5; PE, premature ejaculation; PGE1, prostaglandin E1; Sexual dysfunction; Treatment