Erectile Dysfunction Tied to Lower Work Productivity Globally

Erectile dysfunction (ED) may negatively affect work productivity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), according to a study published online in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

Irwin Goldstein, M.D., from Alvarado Hospital in San Diego, and colleagues used data from the 2015 and 2016 National Health and Wellness Surveys (52,697 men aged 40 to 70 years old) to evaluate the association between ED and work productivity loss, activity impairment, and HRQoL among men in Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The researchers found an overall ED prevalence of 49.7 percent, with Italy reporting the highest rate (54.7 percent). There was significantly higher absenteeism, presenteeism, overall work productivity impairment, and activity impairment among men with ED. Compared with men with no ED, men with ED also had significantly lower Mental Component Summary scores, Physical Component Summary scores, and health state utilities. Greater ED severity was significantly associated with higher impairment in both work and nonwork activities as well as lower HRQoL, with China reporting the highest burden compared with the United States.

"ED poses a significant burden with respect to work productivity and HRQoL, with greater severity associated with worse outcomes," the authors write. "Better management and earlier detection may help reduce this burden, especially in countries reporting a strong association between ED and poor economic and health outcomes."

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