Metabolic syndrome as independent risk factor for erectile dysfunction in a large cohort study

Erectile dysfunction is increasingly considered as a marker of whole-body endothelial dysfunction, especially in high-cardiovascular risk populations, such as subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and/or metabolic syndrome. In a large cohort study of 2371 men (mean age = 46.1 y) participating in a health screening project, 33.4% had no erectile dysfunction as defined by an International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) score of 22 to 25, 59.7% had mild erectile dysfunction as defined by an IIEF-5 score of 17 to 21, and 6.9% had moderate to severe erectile dysfunction as defined by an IIEF-5 score of 5 to 16. Metabolic syndrome by IDF criteria and an increased waist-to-hip ratio were independently associated with a decreased IIEF-5 score. In men ≥50 years, the metabolic syndrome was significantly (P=0.01) associated with a higher proportion of moderate to severe IIEF-5 scored erectile dysfunction.

Abstract