title: Erectile dysfunction is a marker for obstructive sleep apnea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with and without any other comorbidities.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patient group was newly diagnosed as having OSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] > 5/h) using a polysomnographic examination. A group of subjects with simple snoring were included into the control group. Clinically relevant comorbidities were systematically assessed in face-to-face interviews. All patients were asked to complete the 15-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-15) questionnaire for the evaluation of ED. The patients with OSA and ED were evaluated according to these comorbidities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 94 patients, 39 patients were excluded because of severe diseases. OSA was observed in 38 (69.1%) of the 55 patients. ED was seen in 24 (63.2%) patients with OSA, and in 8 (47.1%) patients without OSA (p > 0.05). There were no statistical differences between the groups' ages, IIEF scores, and body mass index (BMI) scores. There were statistically significant differences between the groups' AHI scores (p < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between the groups' AHI scores, BMI, and age (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in patients with OSA, with and without comorbidity in terms of ED.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate of ED was higher in patients with OSA who had no other comorbidities. Therefore, ED can be a sensitive marker of OSA.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Urology , Yüzüncü Yil University , Van , Turkey .
authors.forename: Kerem
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taken
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine , Yüzüncü Yil University , Van , Turkey , and.
authors.forename: Selami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ekin
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine , Yüzüncü Yil University , Van , Turkey , and.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arısoy
authors.affiliation: a Department of Urology , Yüzüncü Yil University , Van , Turkey .
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Günes
authors.affiliation: c Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine , Istanbul University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: Muhammet İrfan
authors.initials: Mİ
authors.lastname: Dönmez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers; D015992:Body Mass Index; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Comorbidity; erectile dysfunction; obstructive sleep apnea; prevalence