A study from the international journal of clinical practice has recently found an association between Erectile Dysfunction (ED) and work productivity loss, activity impairment and health‐related quality of life.
Erectile Dysfunction (ED) refers to the persistent inability to achieve and/or maintain penile erection sufficient for performing sexual intercourse.
ED could be caused by endocrine (reduced serum testosterone levels), non‐endocrine (arterial inflow disorders and abnormalities of venous outflow), neurogenic (affecting innervation and nervous function) and iatrogenic (relating to a medical or surgical treatment) factors.
According to the journal Panafricanmed it revealed that Nigeria has over 63.6 percent men aged 40 to 70 years said to have some degree of ED. The journal added that the rate of ED among men is causing them to attend primary care clinics regularly.
Also, the United States of America’s National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, has shown that ED is very common and affects around 30 million men in the U.S. Age as well as certain medical conditions, medications, psychological and emotional issues can make a man more susceptible to ED.
This cross‐sectional observation study used data from adult men aged 40‐70 years in Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the overall ED prevalence was 49.7 percent with Italy reporting the highest rate of 54.7 percent.
This study included males who self‐reported experiencing any difficulty in achieving or maintaining an erection in the past 6 months. Respondents selected also had to have data for all assessed measures of interest (including ED severity). All respondents provided their consent to participate in the survey and were able to read and write in the primary language of their respective country of residence at the time of the survey.
Men with ED reported significantly higher rates of staying home from work (7.1 percent versus 3.2 percent), working while sick (22.5 percent versus 10.1 percent), work productivity impairment (24.8 percent versus 11.2 percent), and activity impairment (28.6 percent versus 14.5 percent) than men without ED. They also had lower measures of health-related quality of life.
“This study shows that ED remains a prevalent concern, one that impacts work productivity and absenteeism,” said co-author Wing Yu Tang, of Pfizer Inc. “Stemming from eight countries, the global coverage of the data also suggests that this issue is pervasive across geographies,” added senior author Tarek Hassan, also of Pfizer Inc.
Helle Nygaard Gerbild, PhD, student from the Research Unit of General Practice, Institute of Public Health at the University of Southern Denmark explained that men who suffers from erectile dysfunction have the tendency of thinking about this problem and find it difficult to be efficient at work, adding that this could be difficult for them.
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