Men with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are at higher risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) than men without IBS, according to a study conducted in Taiwan.
The study compared 17,608 men newly diagnosed with IBS from 1997 to 2010 and 70,432 age-matched controls without IBS. The incidence of ED was 2.9 times higher in the IBS and non-IBS cohorts (29.5 vs. 10.1 per 10,000 person-years).
In adjusted analyses, men with IBS had a nearly 2.6 times increased risk of ED compared with controls, researchers reported in Andrology (2013;1:793-798). The risk increased with increasing age and number of comorbidities.
In addition, men with depression had at higher risk of ED compared with those who did not have depression.
