Factors Associated With Erectile Dysfunction in Men: A Cross-Sectional Study From Balochistan, Pakistan.

BACKGROUND

Erectile dysfunction (ED) in men is overlooked and is often linked with psychogenic causes. Due to cultural barriers, this area of research remains neglected.

OBJECTIVE

The study was conducted to determine the factors that can be associated with ED in otherwise apparently healthy men.

METHODS

We conducted our cross-sectional case-control study at the teaching hospital (Mekran Medical College) Turbat for six months from March 2023 to September 2023. After obtaining informed consent, 119 subjects aged less than 48 years were included using a convenient purposive sampling technique. Subjects suffering from any chronic disease like diabetes, hypertension, or chronic renal disease were excluded. The sociodemographic data of the participants were recorded. Patient's blood samples were taken to analyze serum testosterone levels. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26 (Released 2019; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States) was used for the analysis of data. The chi-square test and an independent sample t-test were applied to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Among 119 study participants, 65 participants had ED. A significant association of ED was found with the area of residence (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.04-2.48, p-value: 0.031) and smoking status (OR: 3.68, 95% CI: 1.66 - 8.12, p-value: 0.001). A significant difference in the mean age, duration of marriage, and testosterone level was found between subjects with and without ED (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Men do suffer from ED. Smoking and low levels of testosterone increase ED in men. Effective healthcare strategies should be implemented to address the issue of ED in men.