Infections/Inflammation/Cystic Disease of the Genitourinary Tract

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) was known to be closely related with erectile dysfunction (ED). However, studies were insufficient and the results are inconsistent. We assessed the relationship between chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) and erectile dysfunction (ED) using propensity score matching. METHODS: From 2011 to 2013, data from 8727 male in their 40s and 50s who had participated in a health checkup were analyzed. The National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptoms Index (NIH-CPSI), International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF), Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT), testosterone, basic blood chemistry, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) assessment were used for this study. Symptoms were classified as a ‘no' if respondents reported no perineal or ejaculatory pain or had a NIH-CPSI pain score of <4; the symptoms were classified as ‘moderate to severe' if the pain score was >7 according to a previous study. Of these, 7181 formed the cohort for propensity score matching, including 597 men with moderate to severe prostatitis-like symptom (case) and 6584 men with no prostatitis-like symptom (control), however, ultimately, propensity scores were matched at 1:1 ratio of controls to case group (597 men in control group and 597 men in case group). RESULTS: After propensity score matching, age and PEDT variables which was found to be significantly different before propensity score matching were evenly dispersed and did not differ significantly between the groups (Table 1). After matching, the mean IIEF score of case group was significantly lower than control group (IIEF: 17.2 5.5 vs. 14.7 5.3; P<0.001). Additionally, ED severity was significantly greater in case group (no, mild, mild to moderate, moderate, and severe ED: 27.5%, 30.2%, 24.6%, 13.1%, and 4.7% in control group, 10.7%, 27.0%, 33.0%, 18.9%, and 10.4% in case group; P<0.001). Finally, the rate of moderate to severe ED was significantly higher in case group (17.8% vs. 29.3%; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Presence of moderate to severe prostatitislike symptom was significantly and independently correlated with ED.