High prevalence of erectile dysfunction after renal transplantation

Background and Methods. A cross-sectional study of multifaceted male sexual function in 323 consecutive kidney transplant recipients was conducted by mail by means of the validated International Index of Erectile Function (II EF). All five IIEF domains (IIEF-5), i.e., erectile function, orgasmic func tion, sexual desire, intercourse satisfaction, and overall satisfaction, we re scored for each responder. IIEF-5 scoring that conformed to the National Institutes of Health definition of erectile dysfunction (ED) was computed for all patients sexually active within the past 4 weeks. Results. Two hundred and seventy-one patients replied. Compared to the cont rols used for IIEF psychometric validation, kidney transplant recipients ga ve lower erectile function (P<0.01) and intercourse satisfaction (P<0.05) s cores, despite their being younger. ED, according to the IIEF-5 method, was demonstrated in 55.7% of the sexually active patients (n=212). Age, time o n dialysis, and iterative transplants were significantly and negatively rel ated to erectile dysfunction. Conclusion. IIEF proved to be a valuable means of unveiling highly prevalen t erectile dysfunction in male kidney transplant recipients. The negative i mpact of the time on dialysis was emphasized in the results.