Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the most prevalent male sexual dysfunctions. ED has been in the past mistakenly considered a purely psycho-sexological symptom by patients and doctors. However, an ever-growing body of evidence supporting the role of several organic factors in the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying ED has been recognized.
The Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine (SIAMS) commissioned an expert task force involving several other National Societies to provide an updated guideline on the diagnosis and management of ED. Derived recommendations were based on the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system.
Several evidence-based statements were released providing the necessary up-to-date guidance in the context of ED with organic and psychosexual comorbidities. Many of them were related to incorrect lifestyle habits suggesting how to associate pharmacotherapies and counseling, in a couple-centered approach. Having the oral therapy with phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors as the gold standard along with several other medical and surgical therapies, new therapeutic or controversial options were also discussed.
These are the first guidelines based on a multidisciplinary approach that involves the most important Societies related to the field of sexual medicine. This fruitful discussion allowed for a general agreement on several recommendations and suggestions to be reached, which can support all stakeholders in improving couple sexual satisfaction and overall general health.
Journal of endocrinological investigation. 2023 Jan 25 [Epub ahead of print]
G Corona, D Cucinotta, G Di Lorenzo, A Ferlin, V A Giagulli, L Gnessi, A M Isidori, M I Maiorino, P Miserendino, A Murrone, R Pivonello, V Rochira, G M Sangiorgi, G Stagno, C Foresta, A Lenzi, M Maggi, E A Jannini
Endocrinology Unit, Medical Department, Maggiore-Bellaria Hospital, Azienda Usl, Bologna, Italy., Chair of Internal Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy., Section of Psychiatry, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy., Unit of Andrology and Reproductive Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy., Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine-Section of Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, Endocrinology and Rare Diseases, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy., Section of Food Science, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy., Section of Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy., Division of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy., Diabetology and Endocrinology Unit, ASP #, Caltanissetta, Italy., Cardiology Unit, Città di Castello and Gubbio-GualdoTadino Hospitals, Azienda Usl Umbria 1, Gubbio, Italy., Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Sezione di Endocrinologia, Unità di Andrologia e Medicina della Riproduzione e della Sessualità Maschile e Femminile, Università Federico II di Napoli, Naples, Italy., Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy., Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Policlinico Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy., Diabetology Unit, ASP Reggio Calabria, Reggio Calabria, Italy., Endocrinology Unit, Department of Experimental, Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy., Chair of Endocrinology and Sexual Medicine (ENDOSEX), Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, E Tower South Floor 4, Room E413, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy. .