The Association between Erectile Function and Severity of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

It is unclear whether the erectile dysfunction (ED) that frequently occurs with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) may have a common causative factor: sympathetic overactivity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between ED and LUTS. From June 1998 to March 2000, 75 male patients, presenting with LUTS, enrolled into the present study. A total of 63 patients were included into the study, age ranging from 51-74 years (mean 61.5). All patients completed an American Urological Association (AUA) symptom severity index and IIEF-5 questionnaires. The results from the present study demonstrated that the AUA symptom and IIEF-5 scores do not correlate with increasing age. When the statistical analyses were performed for each age group, there were no significant differences in mean IIEF-5 values between any degree of AUA symptom score in the same age group (p> 0.05). The present results indicate that there is no association between the degree of LUTS and the erectile function. Moreover, the statistical analyses of the association between any degree of erectile function and the mean AUA symptom score either for obstructive or irritative symptoms revealed no significant differences (p> 0.05). The present study demonstrates that there is no association between BPH and erectile function in any age group, inconsistent with the sympathetic overactivity theory