Sleep-Related Penile Tumescence with Aging in Korean Adults

Suh, Jun Kyu; park, Tong Choon

Abstract

Studies on nocturnal penile tumescence characteristics in normal men have advantages of further investigations of erection physiology and of impotence research. We conducted a study of nocturnal penile tumescence in 30 Korean healthy males aged 21 to 68 (divided into 5 groups, from 20s to 60s) by means of polysomnographic monitoring to provide normative data on how it is related to man`s sexual function with aging and its range of characteristics for the management of impotence. Analyses of 60 sleep data showed that with aging from 20s to 60s, there was steady decrease in mean values of total tumescence time, total tumescence time/total sleep period time, total tumescence time/total REM period time, amount of maximum REM-related tumescence episodes, frequency of REM-related tumescence, frequency of maximum REM-related tumescence episode, as well as of penile circumferential change and penile rigidity in maximum tumescence episode. These results indicate that there is steady decrease in the quality of nocturnal penile tumescence including frequency, duration, amount and degree with aging from 20s to 60s, which reflects changes of sexual capacity and function in psychosexul aspect. We suppose these normative data will contribute to further clinical investigations of nocturnal penile tumescence and male sexual dysfunction.