Erectile dysfunction (ED) with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a relatively common issue for men. A number of clinical studies have demonstrated that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy may effectively alleviate ED symptom from patients with OSA.
PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases were utilized and searched for the relevant studies up to September 2, 2019. The International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF-5) scoring system from the patients before and after receiving their CPAP therapy were collected according to the strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. REVMEN 5.3 software was applied for the meta-analysis.
A total of seven publications consisted of 206 ED patients with OSA were included in the study. ED patients with OSA received CPAP treatment were significantly improved based on the IIEF-5 scores [Weighted Mean Difference (WMD) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.89 - 1.38, z =9.09, p < 0.0001].Our research found that the high heterogeneity is mainly due to Zhang's research, because his patient's AHI is much higher than other patients. We removed Zhang's study, a moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 54%, P = 0.05) was found in this study. Our research found that the high heterogeneity is mainly due to Zhang's research, because his patient's AHI is much higher than other patients.
The results suggest that continuous positive airway pressure therapy improve erectile dysfunction patients with obstructive sleep apnea. However, further evidence is needed due to the insufficient number of included patients and high heterogeneity.
The clinical respiratory journal. 2020 Sep 25 [Epub ahead of print]
Zhihao Yang, Guodong Du, Lei Ma, Yunhui Lv, Yang Zhao, Tung On Yau
School of Information Engineering and Automation, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China., Sleep Medicine Centre, First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China., School of Sciences and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom.