To the Editor:
Two articles recently published in the Journal of Rheumatology have explored a possible relationship between gout and erectile dysfunction. In the cross-sectional study conducted by Schlesinger, et al1, a significantly greater proportion of patients with gout (63.76%) had erectile dysfunction (ED) versus patients without gout (60.51%). The association remained significant after adjustment for age, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity (adjusted OR 2.92, 95% CI 1.41–6.06). Chen, et al2 reported similar results using a nationwide cohort study design in Taiwan. The gout cohort exhibited a 1.21-fold adjusted HR of subsequent ED development compared with the non-gout cohort (95% CI 1.03–1.44). This causal …
Address correspondence to A.M. Chen; e-mail: anminchen{at}hust.edu.cn