Regular NSAID use associated with ED

January 01, 0001

Regular NSAID use associated with ED

Previous data suggest a potential relationship between inflammation and erectile dysfunction. If it is causal, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use should be inversely associated with erectile dysfunction. To this end the researchers examined the association between nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drug use and erectile dysfunction in a large, ethnically diverse cohort of men enrolled in the California Men's Health Study. This prospective cohort study enrolled male members of the Kaiser Permanente managed care plans who were 45 to 69 years old beginning in 2002. Erectile dysfunction was assessed by questionnaire.

Of the 80,966 men in this study 47.4% were considered nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug users based on the definitions used and 29.3% reported moderate or severe erectile dysfunction. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use and erectile dysfunction strongly correlated with age with regular drug use increasing from 34.5% in men at ages 45 to 49 years to 54.7% in men 60 to 69 years old with erectile dysfunction increasing from 13% to 42%. The unadjusted OR for the association of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and erectile dysfunction was 2.40. With adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, smoking status, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, peripheral vascular disease, coronary artery disease and body mass index, a positive association persisted. The association persisted when using a stricter definition of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug exposure.

The researchers concluded: "These data suggest that regular nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use is associated with erectile dysfunction beyond what would be expected due to age and comorbidity."

This is association.

For the full abstract, click here.

The Journal of Urology published online 21 February 2011 © 2011 American Urological Association Education and Research
Regular Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Use and Erectile Dysfunction. Joseph M. Gleason, Jeffrey M. Slezak, Howard Jung et al.

Category: Y. Male Genital System, Breast. Keywords: penis, erectile dysfunction, anti-inflammatory agents, non-steroidal, age factors, comorbidity, prospective cohort study, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Stephen Wilkinson, Melbourne, Australia. Posted on Global Family Doctor 25 March 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.