Relationship between patient self-assessment of erectile function and the erectile function domain of the International Index of Erectile Function

Objectives. To assess the validity of severity classes on the erectile func tion (EF) domain of the International Index of Erectile Function by determi ning their relationship with the self-assessment of EF, before and after tr eatment, in an independent cohort of patients, Methods. Two hundred forty-seven men with clinically diagnosed erectile dys function (ED) and in a stable heterosexual relationship were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, 12-week, flexible-dose study. Patients assessed their degree of ED as sever e, moderate, minimal/mild, or no problem at baseline and after treatment. T hey also responded to the six questions of the EF domain, with the total sc ore indicating the following degrees of ED: severe, EF score 1 to 10; moder ate, EF score 11 to 16, mild to moderate, EF score 17 to 21; mild, EF score 22 to 25; and no ED, EF score 26 to 30. Descriptive profiles of the two di agnostic instruments were compared. The correlations between the instrument s were evaluated with Kendall's tau-b at baseline, after treatment at 12 we eks, and at change from baseline. Results. The two measures gave generally similar descriptive profiles of ED severity. The correlations were 0.65 (95% confidence interval 0.57 to 0.73 ) at baseline, 0.86 (95% confidence interval 0.83 to 0.89) after 12 weeks o f treatment, and 0.73 (95% confidence interval 0.67 to 0.79) at change from baseline. Conclusions. The moderate-to-high correlation between the patients' self-as sessment of EF and the EF domain of the International Index of Erectile Fun ction provides a validation of this domain for the reliable diagnostic clas sification of ED severity. UROLOGY 56: 477-481, 2000. (C) 2000, Elsevier Sc ience Inc.