Globally, erectile dysfunction affects a large number of men – about 50% of men between the ages of 40 and 70, and this number is expected to increase significantly in the future. According to some data, in 2025 the number of affected men will double, compared to 1995. As the incidence of erectile dysfunction increases, the question arises as to what the consequences are for men. A recent study aimed to determine whether erectile dysfunction impairs productivity at work everyday life and overall quality of life.
The study analyzed data from eight countries – China, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the USA, and Great Britain, and the results were published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice. Earlier studies have also shown that erectile dysfunction impairs overall quality of life, but until now it was not clear whether the condition affects productivity in the workplace.
A total of 52,697 men between the ages of 40 and 70 participated in the study. The survey questions to the participants aimed to investigate whether the men had experienced symptoms of erectile dysfunction in the past six months, as well as to clarify general daily and work productivity. To exclude some subjective factors, household income, employment, material status, level of education, general health status, body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption and smoking, etc., should have been studied.
Across all countries, erectile dysfunction was found to affect 49.7% of participants. The frequency ranged from 45.2% in Great Britain to 54.7% in Italy. According to study demographics, men with erectile dysfunction had higher rates of smoking, obesity, excessive alcohol use, lack of physical activity, and comorbidities. For the maximum objectivity of the study, these patients were excluded when analyzing the results, since these are variable factors that can affect the general condition of the patient and his productivity.
According to the results of the study, in men with erectile dysfunction, absenteeism from the workplace, decreased productivity and general physical activity were more than twice as much as in the control group without erectile dysfunction. Previous studies have also shown lower overall quality of life scores in men with erectile dysfunction. The highest deterioration in overall productivity (2.66 times) was seen among men in the UK.
The study’s lead author, Tarek Hassan, told foreign media that the collection of similar data from eight different countries showed that the problem was widespread.
Despite the similar results to previous studies, it should be noted that this type of research has some significant limitations – the questionnaire form of the study is reliable, due to the possibility of subjective or misleading answers to the questions by the participants. In addition, the questionnaire responses are graded (from 1 to 5) and do not assess the medical symptoms of the participants. Thus, participants who answered with a grade of 2-5 are classified into the group with erectile dysfunction. However, it is difficult to say whether participants who rated their condition as grade 2 met the medical criteria for erectile dysfunction. The presence of a large number of other variable factors, in addition to those indicated in the study, also has significant importance in assessing work productivity.
The study was funded by a pharmaceutical company that manufactures an erectile dysfunction drug.
