The triad of erectile dysfunction, testosterone deficiency syndrome and metabolic syndrome: findings from a multi-ethnic Asian men study (The Subang Men's Health Study)

• Main Authors: Tan, W.S., Ng, C.J., Khoo, E.M., Low, W.Y., Tan, H.M.
• Format: Article
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: R Medicine
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/10234/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22115177

The etiology of erectile dysfunction (ED) is multi-factorial. This paper examines the association between ED, testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS) and metabolic syndrome (MS) in Malaysian men in an urban setting. One thousand and forty-six men aged >= 40 years from Subang Jaya, Malaysia were randomly selected from an electoral-roll list. The men completed questionnaires that included: socio-demographic data, self-reported medical problems and the International Index of erectile function (IIEF-5). Physical examination and the following biochemical tests were performed: lipid profile, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and total testosterone. The response rate was 62.8 and the mean age of men was 55.8 +/- 8.4 (41-93) years. Ethnic distribution was Chinese, 48.9; Malay, 34.5; Indian, 14.8. The prevalence of moderate. severe ED was 20.0, while 16.1 of men had TDS (< 10.4 nmol/L) and 31.3 of men had MS. Indian and Malay men were significantly more likely to have ED (p = 0.001), TDS (p < 0.001) and MS (p < 0.001) than the Chinese. Multivariate regression analysis showed that elevated blood pressure, elevated FBG, low high-density lipoprotein and heart disease were predictors of ED while all MS components were independently associated with TDS. Malay and Indian men have a higher disease burden compared to Chinese men and were more likely to suffer with ED, TDS and MS. MS components were closely related to TDS and ED.