Men with ED may have unaddressed sexual dysfunction

In men with erectile dysfunction, 65% are unable to have an orgasm and 58% have problems with ejaculation, say researchers from New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

"While medications… have been successful in helping many of these men, our research suggests there are other common sexual issues that remain largely unaddressed," said lead author Darius Paduch, MD, PhD. "We must expand the definition of quality of life when it comes to sexual performance. For the last few decades, we have focused on penile rigidity, with erection as a synonym of normal sexual function. However, many patients say that problems with ejaculation… are just as critical."

Dr. Paduch and colleagues analyzed questionnaires from 28 clinical trials of 12,130 men with mild to severe ED from a diverse, international cohort of patients enrolled in clinical trials for tadalafil (Cialis).

While severity of dysfunctional ejaculation and orgasm correlated with ED severity, these issues were still surprisingly common in men with very mild ED, Dr. Paduch said. Orgasmic dysfunction was reported by 26% in this group, and ejaculatory dysfunction by 18%, suggesting that non-erectile sexual dysfunction is a regular occurrence even in men without ED.

Results from the study were published online in British Journal of Urology International (Aug. 23, 2011).

The study was sponsored by Eli Lilly and Co., for whom Dr. Paduch and several co-authors are paid investigators and/or consultants/advisers/speakers/employees.