1.Prevalence and factors associated with erectile dysfunction in male patients with human immunodeficiency virus in a teaching hospital in West Malaysia
Enoma Aghahowa ; Siew Mooi Ching ; Fan Kee Hoo ; Sharifah Faridah Syed Omar
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2017;72(3):186-189
Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) has been associated with the
treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and chronic
diseases. Sexual dysfunction data of male patients infected with HIV
are still scarce in Malaysia, and ED appears to be under-reported.
Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence and
predictors of ED among male HIV patients at the University Malaya
Medical Centre.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among male HIV
patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) attending the outpatient
clinic of a teaching hospital in Malaysia. A systematic random
sampling method was employed in the selection of respondents.
Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire with
a 15-item international index of erectile function (IIEF-15). An
appropriate statistical analysis was used to determine the associate
and potential risk factors.
Results: A total of 220 males participated in this study with a mean
age of 37.9±9.9; prevalence of ED among HIV patients was 82.3 %
(n=180). The severity of ED was further categorized into: severe
(24.1%), moderate (19.1%), mild to moderate (20.9%), and mild
(18.3%). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, patients with
a lower educational background were more likely to be associated
with ED (odds ratio [OR] 2.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-6.72;
p- value 0.046).
Conclusion: This study reports that ED was prevalent among adult
HIV males who are on an ART regimen. Those with a lower
educational background are more likely to have ED. Hence, in
managing patients with HIV, physicians should seek to identify
those patients at risk of developing ED for further intervention.