Growing evidence reports that obesity might play a role in erectile dysfunction (ED), but limited knowledge is available. We conducted a meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of ED in overweight men and men with obesity. We performed a systematic review up to 01/04/2019 to investigate the associations between obesity and ED. Applying a random-effect model, we calculated the prevalence of ED, the odds ratio (OR) for the presence of ED by Body Mass Index (BMI) categories and the mean differences between ED and controls in BMI and Waist Circumference (WC). Among 3409 studies, we included 45 articles with 42,489 men (mean age = 55 years). Taking normal weight men as reference, the prevalence of ED was significantly higher in overweight (OR = 1.31; 95%CI: 1.13-1.51; I2 = 72%) and in men with obesity (OR = 1.60; 95%CI: 1.29-1.98; I2 = 79%). Adjusting our analyses for potential confounders, the results were confirmed in men with obesity (OR = 1.46; 95%CI: 1.24-1.72; I2 = 72%). ED was associated with significant higher values of BMI (MD = 0.769; 95%CI: 0.565-0.973 Kg/m2; I2 = 78%) and WC (MD = 5.251 cm; 95%CI: 1.295-9.208; I2 = 96%). Considering the high prevalence of ED among men with obesity, clinicians should screen for this clinical condition in this population. Findings from the present study suggest that reducing adiposity is a crucial approach in patients with ED who are affected by obesity.
Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders. 2020 Jan 31 [Epub ahead of print]
Damiano Pizzol, Lee Smith, Luigi Fontana, Maria Gabriella Caruso, Alessandro Bertoldo, Jacopo Demurtas, Daragh McDermott, Andrea Garolla, Igor Grabovac, Nicola Veronese
Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Jerusalem, Israel., The Cambridge Centre for Sport & Exercise Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK., Faculty of Medicine and Health and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia., Ambulatory of Clinical Nutrition, National Institute of Gastroenterology, Research Hospital, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" of Castellana Grotte (BA), 70013, Castellana Grotte, Italy., Zerouno Procreazione, Centro di Medicina, Venezia Mestre, Venice, Italy., Primary Care Department Azienda USL Toscana Sud Est, Grosseto, Italy., Unit of Andrology and Reproductive Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy., Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Centre for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria., National Research Council, Neuroscience Institute, Aging Branch, 35128, Padova, Italy. .