OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to demonstrate whether a realistic association exists between the COVID-19 pandemic and erectile dysfunction (ED) among a sampled Egyptian population in Damietta governorate.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study consisted of 330 adult males diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. They were categorized in three age groups (18-29, 30-39, and 40-50 years, respectively). COVID-19-confirmed cases were assessed by the Arabic version of the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire (IIEF) scores.
RESULTS: The prevalence of ED according to the IIEF was 55.1%. The ED was categorized into mild ED which represents 25.8% of the patients, mild to moderate which represents 22.4% of the patients, moderate which represents 7% of the patients, and severe which represents 0% of the patients. We found a significant negative correlation between the age of the patients and the IIEF score. Also, we found an association between the severity of COVID-19 infection and the IIEF score.
CONCLUSIONS: An association of new-onset ED in men who suffered COVID-19 infection was established. This may be due to virus-induced endothelial cell dysfunction; however, an underlying mechanism and causation have not yet been clearly elucidated. While it appears that COVID-19 infection may be a risk factor for ED, additional research is needed to establish causality.
目的:该研究的目的是证明在Damietta省的埃及样本人群中,COVID-19大流行与勃起功能障碍(ED)之间是否存在现实关联。
方法:这项横断面研究包括330名被诊断患有COVID-19感染的成年男性。他们分为三个年龄组(18-29岁,30-39岁和40-50岁,分别)。COVID-19确诊病例通过阿拉伯文版国际勃起功能指数问卷(IIEF)评分进行评估。
结果:根据IIEF,ED的患病率为55.1%。ED分为轻度ED,占25.8%的患者,轻度至中度,占22.4%的患者,中度,占7%的患者,严重,占患者的0%。我们发现患者年龄与IIEF评分之间存在显著负相关。此外,我们发现COVID-19感染的严重程度与IIEF评分之间存在关联.
结论:确定了患有COVID-19感染的男性新发ED的关联。这可能是由于病毒诱导的内皮细胞功能障碍;然而,潜在的机制和因果关系尚未明确阐明。虽然似乎COVID-19感染可能是ED的危险因素,需要更多的研究来建立因果关系。