E M L Ng | PubMed Health

PubMed2006

Prevalence of erectile dysfunction in Asian populations: a meta-analysis.

We searched for published studies on the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) in Asian populations, through Medline, PubMed, PsychInfo and scanned through reference lists. Data on prevalence rates were obtained and summarized for each Asian region, and were used to calculate pooled prevalence estimates using fixed and random effects models. As significant heterogeneity existed in certain age group categories, the random effects model was preferred. Twenty general population studies were identified. Six studies were eligible to be entered into the pooling of results, and provided 8653 subjects for analysis. The prevalence of ED increased with age. Pooled random effects age-specific prevalence rates were 15.1% (12.2-18.1), 29.6% (19.7-39.6), 40.6% (23.6-57.7), 54.3% (36.0-72.6) and 70.0% (62.3-77.7) for age groups 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60-69 years, respectively. Homogeneity of results in age groups 20-29 and 60-69 years suggested equally low and high prevalences of ED across Asian regions in these age groups, respectively. The overall reported prevalence in individual studies ranged from 2 to 81.8%. Prevalence rates and related information were summarized for each Asian region and for each study.

Age Distribution↗

PubMed2006

Physical activity and erectile dysfunction: meta-analysis of population-based studies.

We searched for population-based cross-sectional studies, cohort studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on erectile dysfunction (ED) through Medline, PubMed, PsychInfo and scanned though reference lists. Studies that did not include adjusted odds ratios (OR) of physical activity were excluded. Seven cross-sectional studies were suitable for meta-analysis, and the results from one cross-section study, two cohort studies and one RCT were summarized. Pooling the ORs using random effects models, we derived summary estimate for adjusted OR of physical activity in those with ED compared with those without ED, which was 0.53 (0.31, 0.91). Moderate and high physical activities were associated with a lower risk of ED, with ORs at 0.63 (0.43, 0.93) and 0.42 (0.22, 0.82), respectively. Funnel plot by visual inspection, and Begg's test and Egger's test did not detect significant publication bias. Sensitivity analyses revealed that the summary estimate from the random effects model was robust to changes in study sample size and level of statistical adjustment, but not so robust to changes in ED definition, although the summary estimate for each ED definition did not differ significantly. Although causality cannot be demonstrated from cross-sectional studies, the apparent 'protective' effect of physical activity on ED should be further investigated using large-scale cohort studies or RCTs.

Erectile Dysfunction↗