Prevalence of Erectile Dysfunction among Treated Hypertensive Males
Peera Buranakitjaroen MD*, Meta Phoojaroenchanachai MD*, Surachai Saravich BSc*
Affiliation : * Division of Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University
Objective : Study the prevalence rate of erectile dysfunction (ED) in treated hypertensive males.
Materials and Methods : Four hundred and twenty nine patients attending the outpatient clinic at Siriraj
Hospital between April 2001 and October 2002 were interviewed. The International Index of Erectile Func-
tion, a 5-item version (IIEF-5) questionnaire was used. All questions were carried out by a well-trained
interviewer.
Result: Of the 429 patients (mean age of 57.5 + 12.0 years) interviewed, 241 cases (56.2%) reported ED. The
prevalence was found to increase with age: from 0% in men aged < 40 years, 47.4% in men aged 40 – 59 years,
and 75.3% in men aged > 60 years. Risk of ED was significantly (p < 0.01) associated with the elderly (OR=
4.7, 95%CI = 3.1-7.1), patients who suffered from hypertension longer than 5 years (OR = 4.0, 95%CI = 2.6 –
6.1), those with a history of back/pelvic surgery (OR = 2.8, 95%CI = 1.4-4.8), smoking (OR = 1.5, 95%CI =
1.0-2.2), alcohol ingestion (OR = 2.0, 95%CI = 1.3-3.0), diabetes mellitus (OR = 6.3, 95%CI = 3.5-11.2),
diuretics (OR = 1.9, 95%CI = 1.3-2.8), and alpha-2 agonist (OR = 7.9, 95%CI = 2.3-26.1) usage. On multi-
variate regression analyses, the elderly (OR = 4.0, 95%CI = 2.5-6.4), diabetes mellitus (OR = 6.4, 95%CI =
3.5-11.8), the usage of diuretic (OR = 2.1, 95%CI = 1.3-3.4), and alpha-2 agonist (OR = 6.0, 95%CI = 1.7-
21.3) predicted ED (p < 0.005 in all categories). Neither history of back/pelvic operation, smoking, alcohol
ingestion, overweight (BMI > 30 kg/m2), or any other antihypertensive medications independently predicted
ED.
Conclusion : Our results indicated that ED in male hypertensive patients is common and the cause should be
sought and avoided. Diabetic patients or those who have been using diuretic or alpha-2 agonists should
receive much attention and be routinely evaluated for ED.
Keywords : Hypertension, Erectile dysfunction
