About

Impotence

A common problem among men characterized by the consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse or the inability to achieve ejaculation, or both. Impotence can vary. It can involve a total inability to achieve an erection or ejaculation, an inconsistent ability to do so, or a tendency to sustain only very brief erections.

The risk of impotence increases with age. It is four-fold higher in men in their 60s compared with those in their 40s according to a study published in the Journal of Urology (2000;163:460-463). Men with less education are also more likely to experience impotence, perhaps because they tend to have less healthy lifestyles, eat a less healthy diet, drink more and exercise less. Physical exercise tends to lessen the risk of impotence.

Impotence can have emotional causes but most often it is due to a physical problem. The physical causes of impotence include diseases (such as diabetes and hypertension), injuries (such as from prostate surgery), side-effects of drugs (such as the protease inhibitors used in HIV therapy), and disorders (such as atherosclerosis) that impair blood flow in the penis. Impotence is treatable in all age groups. Treatments include psychotherapy, vacuum devices, surgery and, most often today, drug therapy.

https://www.medicinenet.com/impotence_pictures_slideshow_erectile_dysfunction/article.htm

Prevalence

The global prevalence of ED was 3-76.5%. ED was associated with increasing age.

Ref: Van Hemelrijck M, Kessler A, Sollie S, Challacombe B, Briggs K. The global prevalence of erectile dysfunction: a review. BJU international. 2019 Oct;124(4):587-99.

It is estimated that in 1995 there were over 152 million men worldwide who experienced ED; the projections for 2025 show a prevalence of approximately 322 million with ED, an increase of nearly 170 million men.

Ref: Ayta IA, McKinlay JB, Krane RJ. The likely worldwide increase in erectile dysfunction between 1995 and 2025 and some possible policy consequences. BJU international. 1999 Jul 1;84(1):50-6.

The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of and significant risk factors for erectile dysfunction among men of all nationalities attending primary health care centres in Qatar for any reason. Respondents aged > 30 years (n = 1139) completed the sexual health inventory for men plus a questionnaire about their demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits and presence of chronic diseases. The total prevalence of erectile dysfunction was 56.9% (32.7% mild and 2.3% severe cases).

Ref: Ahmed A, Alnaama A, Shams K, Salem M. Prevalence and risk factors of erectile dysfunction among patients attending primary health care centres in Qatar. East Mediterr Health J. 2011 Jul 1;17(7):587-92.

Erectile dysfunction is a common medical problem affecting approximately 15% of men each year

Ref: Johannes CB et al. Incidence of erectile dysfunction in men 40 to 69 years old: longitudinal results from the Massachusetts male aging study. Journal of Urology. 2000, 163:460–463.

Over 150 million men worldwide were estimated to have been affected by erectile dysfunction in 1995, and this is projected to rise to 320 million by 2025

Ref:Abolfotouh MA, Al-Helali NS. Effect of erectile dysfunction on quality of life. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2001, 7(3):510–518.

The prevalence of erectile dysfunction varies widely in studies from different countries. It was estimated to be 18.4% in men aged ≥ 20 years in the United States.

Ref: Selvin E, Burnett AL, Platz EA. Prevalence and risk factors for erectile dysfunction in the US. American Journal of Medicine, 2007, 120:151–157.

The prevalence of erectile dysfunction 49.4% in Canada

Ref: Grover SA et al. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction in the primary care setting. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2007, 166:213–219

The prevalence of erectile dysfunction 63.6% in Hong Kong

Ref: Siu SC et al. Prevalence of and risk factors for erectile dysfunction in Hong Kong diabetic patients. Diabetic Medicine, 2001, 18:732–738.

In a study in Qatar the prevalence of erectile dysfunction among Qatari patients was 66.2% among hypertensive patients and 23.8% among non-hypertensive controls

Ref: Bener A et al. Prevalence of erectile dysfunction among hypertensive and nonhypertensive Qatari men. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 2007, 43:870–878.

Of the 1139 respondents 649 had some degree of erectile dysfunction based on the SHIM scale, giving an overall crude prevalence of erectile dysfunction in this sample of 56.9%. A majority were mild cases (32.7%), while the remainder were classified as moderate (18.0%), moderate or severe (4.3%) or severe (2.3%).. Qatari males had the highest prevalence of erectile dysfunction (64.7%), followed by other Asian males (60.7%) and men of other Arab nationalities (48.0%).

The prevalence of different degrees of erectile dysfunction found in the present study (32.7% mild, 18.0% moderate, 4.3% moderate to severe and 2.3% severe) can be compared with another study in the United States of 1290 individuals in which 27% of the sample population were suffering from mild erectile dysfunction, 17% moderate and 10% severe

Ref: Johannes CB et al. Incidence of erectile dysfunction in men 40 to 69 years old: longitudinal results from the Massachusetts male aging study. Journal of Urology, 2000, 163:460–463.

One 2018 reviewTrusted Source estimated that ED affects about a third of men. And a 2019 reviewTrusted Source found that the global prevalence of ED ranges between 3 percent and 76.5 percent.

Ref: Zhao B, Hong Z, Wei Y, Yu D, Xu J, Zhang W. Erectile dysfunction predicts cardiovascular events as an independent risk factor: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2019 Jul 1;16(7):1005-17.