Erectile Dysfunction Appears to Be More Prevalent in Psoriatic Patients

Erectile dysfunction (ED) became easier to discuss with the development of sildenafil and an accompanying marketing campaign that included then-Senator Bob Dole. Now, most internists discuss ED with their male patients. In a relatively small study published last year, questionnaires completed by patients with psoriasis suggested that the disease was not an independent risk factor for ED. The authors noted that increasing age and hypertension were risk factors for ED and concluded that dermatologists should screen for ED (Br J Dermatol 2011; 164:103) in these patients.

Now, using a population-based dataset, researchers from Taiwan analyzed more than 4000 patients with ED and compared them 1:3 with non-ED controls. Of the 18,424 participants, …