PREVALENCE OF ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION IN YOUNG SAUDI POPULATION

Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) has been one of the most prevalent complaints among men with sexual health difficulties. ED is the inability to attain or sustain an erection satisfactory for sexual intercourse. Aim: This study aims to assess the prevalence of erectile dysfunction among married males in Saudi Arabia. Methodology: This study adapted a cross-sectional study design. We collected data by distributing a pre-designed questionnaire that includes a section for sociodemographic data and the Arabic translation of the short version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), which consists of 5 questions utilized to diagnose and assess the severity of ED. Collected data were managed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. Results: The study included 194 participants of whom 39.2% were 31 to 40 years old. Most of the participants were in a monogamous marriage (81.4%), whereas 15.5%, 1.5%, and 1.5% had two, three, and four partners, respectively. Mild ED was prevalent among 66.5% of participants, whereas 2.6% and 1% had moderate and severe ED, respectively. The average IIEF-5 score ± standard deviation (SD) was 18.2±3.3. Since males who were not employed had higher rates of moderate (3.4%) and severe (6.9%) ED, there was a significant relationship between ED severity and occupation (p=0.014). Similarly, since 18.2% of people with chronic conditions also had severe ED, the presence of chronic diseases was significantly related with ED severity (p=0.000). Conclusion: Our study concludes that levels of moderate and severe ED are less prevalent when compared with international reports. ED was significantly more prevalent among unoccupied men and those with chronic diseases