CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS WITH ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION IN A FAMILY PHYSICIAN-LED ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION CLINIC: RETROSPECTIVE CASE SERIES REVIEW

Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) was commonly thought mainly psychological or emotional related. ED is indeed significantly and independently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. Family physician are judged among patients to be the most appropriate person to help their predicament. This study aims to examine the demographics of patients with erectile dysfunction in a family physician led erectile dysfunction clinic; and to review disease spectrum and treatment outcome of ED patients. Methods: This is a retrospective case series study involving all consecutive patients seen in ED Clinic from April 2014 to March 2015. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the patient characteristics, associated chronic comorbidities and treatment outcomes. Results and Conclusion: 183 patients with mean age 58.7 and ranged from 23 to 82 years old were seen during the study period. 66 patients (36.1%) were active or ex-smoker. 50.8% of patients had comorbidity of hypertension, 38.8% had diabetes mellitus and 33.9% had hyperlipidaemia. Their mean blood pressure was 137.3/79.5 mmHg. The mean IIEF-5 score was 10.5, while 50.3%, 30.6% and 18.6% had severe, moderate and mild erectile dysfunction respectively. The average duration of ED before seeking medical help was 3.9 years, while 9.8% presented less than one year and 7.7% had more than 10 years. PDE5 inhibitors were prescribed to 119 (65%) patients, and 57.1% of them achieved good response. Among PDE5 inhibitor users, 83.2% attempted one, 10.1% attempted 2 and 6.7% attempted 3 drugs respectively.