Korean J Urol.  2009 Jul;50(7):682-688.

Association between Erectile Dysfunction and Metabolic Syndrome in Aging Men: Hallym Aging Study

• Oh JR
• Jeong JY
• Jang SN
• Choi YJ
• Kim DH
• Lee SH
• Lee CW
• Lee SK

Abstract

PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between erectile dysfunction (ED) and metabolic syndrome (MS) in a population-based cohort study, the Hallym Aging Study (HAS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among the 1,520 participants in HAS, 278 men aged more than 50 years, who underwent detailed health evaluations, including health-related questionnaires, evaluation of their medical history and various lifestyle factors, as well as clinical measurements, were included in the study. ED and MS were assessed by using a 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) and the guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III), respectively, and the relationship between ED and MS was investigated. RESULTS: Of the 278 men, 120 (43.2%) had MS. Ninety percent of men with MS and 78.5% of men without MS had ED (p<0.05), and chi-square analysis revealed significant differences in the rate of MS between groups when stratified by ED severity (p<0.001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis, with control for age and comorbidities, showed that men with MS were 3 times as likely to have ED as were men without MS. Among the metabolic risk factors, only waist circumference (WC) was significantly associated with the presence and severity of ED (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of MS was an independent risk factor for ED, and WC was the most significant metabolic risk factor predicting the risk of ED. These results highlight the clinical importance of evaluating ED in patients with MS, especially in patients with abnormal WC.

Keyword

Erectile dysfunction; Metabolic syndrome; Risk factor

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Aging
Cholesterol
Cohort Studies
Comorbidity
Erectile Dysfunction
Humans
Life Style
Logistic Models
Male
Risk Factors
Waist Circumference
Cholesterol

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Prevalence and severity of (A) metabolic syndrome (MS) and (B) erectile dysfunction (ED) in different age groups of the study population.

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