Potential diagnostic confounders and initial treatment strategies in men with ED.
| RA, n = 48 | Non-RA Comparators, n = 65 | P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potential confounders | |||
| Possible psychogenic ED | 0 (0) | 6 (9) | 0.04 |
| Alcohol concerns | 3 (6) | 5 (8) | > 0.99 |
| Antihypertensive use | 23 (48) | 31 (48) | 0.98 |
| Aspirin use within 1 yr | 27 (56) | 36 (55) | 0.93 |
| Antiandrogen use | 0 (0) | 1 (2) | > 0.99 |
| Antidepressant use | 7 (15) | 9 (14) | 0.91 |
| Depression within 1 yr | 6 (13) | 10 (15) | 0.66 |
| Anxiety within 1 yr | 3 (6) | 6 (9) | 0.56 |
| Hypogonadism diagnosis | 4 (8) | 2 (3) | 0.40 |
| Thyroid disease diagnosis | 3 (6) | 6 (9) | 0.73 |
| Peyronie disease | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | > 0.99 |
| Penile trauma | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | – |
| Spinal cord trauma | 0 (0) | 1 (2) | > 0.99 |
| Neurological disease | 4 (8) | 5 (8) | > 0.99 |
| Radical prostatectomy | 4 (8) | 4 (6) | 0.72 |
| Radiation therapy | 0 (0) | 1 (2) | > 0.99 |
| Days with outpatient visits or hospitalization, mean (SD) | |||
| Preceding year | 7.0 (6.9) | 4.1 (4.0) | 0.009 |
| Following year | 9.0 (9.4) | 6.0 (5.4) | 0.03 |
| Diagnosing physician | 0.10 | ||
| Family practice | 13 (27) | 14 (22) | |
| Internal medicine | 22 (46) | 40 (62) | |
| Urology | 4 (8) | 7 (11) | |
| Subspecialty internal medicine | 9 (19) | 3 (5) | |
| Other | 0 (0) | 1 (2) | |
| Treatments in first year | |||
| Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor | 27 (56) | 41 (63) | 0.46 |
| Testosterone replacement | 4 (8) | 1 (2) | 0.16 |
| Penile self-injection | 4 (8) | 2 (3) | 0.40 |
| Penile vacuum device | 2 (4) | 1 (2) | 0.57 |
| Penile device placement | 1 (2) | 0 (0) | 0.42 |
Values are expressed as n (%) unless otherwise indicated. ED: erectile dysfunction; RA: rheumatoid arthritis.