Relationships of low-grade systemic inflammation and nutritional status with erectile dysfunction severity in men on dialysis.

Low-grade systemic inflammation and malnutrition are frequently observed in patients on dialysis and contribute to the development of endothelial dysfunction, however, the role of these conditions in erectile dysfunction (ED) severity remains to be elucidated.

To investigate the relationships of low-grade systemic inflammation and nutritional status with ED severity in men on dialysis.

The present study included 71 men on dialysis. The Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) was used to assess ED. Men were classified as the mild/moderate (SHIM score ≥ 8) and severe ED (SHIM score ≤ 7) groups. C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) and Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) were used to evaluate low-grade systemic inflammation and nutritional status, respectively. We performed multivariate analysis to assess the relationships of CAR and GNRI with severe ED.

The median age of the included men was 64 years old. All men had any degree of ED with 65% having severe ED. In the univariate analyses, a significant association was observed between elevated CAR (≥ 0.09) and severe ED (odds ratio [OR]: 4.038, P = 0.025), whereas no significant association was observed between lower GNRI (< 92) and severe ED (OR: 2.357, P = 0.109). In the multivariate analysis, an association between elevated CAR and severe ED was still significant (OR: 5.985, P = 0.010).

Low-grade systemic inflammation was significantly associated with ED severity, whereas lower GNRI was not. These results may be helpful for further research to identify the optimal treatment for men suffering from severe ED. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Andrology. 2022 Aug 05 [Epub ahead of print]

Naoki Fujita, Shingo Hatakeyama, Masaki Momota, Tomoko Hamaya, Yuki Tobisawa, Tohru Yoneyama, Teppei Okamoto, Hayato Yamamoto, Takahiro Yoneyama, Yasuhiro Hashimoto, Kazuaki Yoshikawa, Chikara Ohyama

Department of Urology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan., Department of Advanced Blood Purification Therapy, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan., Department of Advanced Transplant and Regenerative Medicine, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan., Department of Urology, Mutsu General Hospital, Mutsu, Japan.