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Overactive bladder negatively affects erectile function and promotes premature ejaculation: findings from large representative population-level study

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Abstract

Purpose

The effect of overactive bladder (OAB) on sexual health has been evaluated extensively for women but much less for men. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between OAB and men’s sexual activity and the effect of OAB on erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE) in a large representative cohort of men at the population level.

Methods

This study was based on computer-assisted web interviews that used validated questionnaires. The most recent census and the sample size estimation calculations were employed to produce a population-representative pool.

Results

The study included 3001 men, representative of the population in terms of age and place of residence. The frequency of sexual intercourse was higher for respondents without OAB symptoms compared with persons who had OAB (p = 0.001), but there was no association between OAB symptoms and number of sexual partners (p = 0.754). Regression models did not confirm the effect of OAB on sexual activity (odds ratio 0.993, CI 0.974–1.013, p = 0.511). Both ED and PE were more prevalent in respondents with OAB symptoms compared with persons who lacked those symptoms (p < 0.001). Importantly, the effect of OAB on ED or PE was independent of age, comorbidities, and lifestyle habits (regression coefficients of 0.13 and 0.158 for ED and PE, respectively).

Conclusion

Overactive bladder did not significantly affect men’s sexual activity, but it significantly correlated with ED and PE. Our results suggest a need in daily clinical practice to screen for OAB symptoms for persons who report ED or PE.

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All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.

Abbreviations

ED:

Erectile dysfunction

IIEF-5:

The 5-item International Index of Erectile Function

LUTS:

Lower urinary tract symptoms

OAB:

Overactive bladder

OAB-V8:

Overactive Bladder-Validated 8-question Screener

OR:

Odds ratio

PE:

Premature ejaculation

PEDT:

Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank study participants for their time.

Funding

This study was supported by unrestricted grants from the Jagiellonian University Medical College and Polpharma Pharmaceuticals. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The authors’ work was independent of the funders.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland

    Mikolaj Przydacz & Piotr Chlosta

  2. Department of Urology, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK

    Nadir Osman

  3. Division of Urology, Department of Oncology, San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital, University of Turin, Orbassano, Italy

    Sabrina De Cillis

  4. Service d’urologie, Hôpital Foch, Suresnes, France

    Cyrille Guillot-Tantay

  5. Department of Urology, ERN Accredited Centrum, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

    Francois Herve

  6. Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany

    Tanja Hüsch

  7. Andrology and Urogynecology Clinic, Santa Maria Hospital, University of Perugia, Terni, Italy

    Ester Illiano

  8. Department of Urology, Son Espases University Hospital, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain

    Antonio Tienza Fernandez

  9. Unit of Urology, Division of Oncology, Urological Research Institute, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy

    Manuela Tutolo

  10. Department of Urology, Centro Hospitalar Universitario Sao Joao, Porto, Portugal

    Luis Vale

  11. Department of Urology, Prof. Dr. Cemil Tascioglu City Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey

    Mehmet Gokhan Culha

  12. Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

    Fabiana Cancrini

  13. Department of Urology, Tenon Hospital, Sorbonne University, Paris, France

    Steeve Doizi

  14. Division of Neuro-Urology, Department of Surgical Sciences, CTO Hospital, Citta della Salute e della Scienza, Turin, Italy

    Paolo Geretto

  15. Department of Urology, King’s College Hospital, King’s College London, London, UK

    Nicholas Raison

  16. Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, USA

    Howard B. Goldman

  17. Department of Urology, Sorbonne University, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Tenon Academic Hospital, Paris, France

    Veronique Phe

Authors
  1. Mikolaj Przydacz
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  2. Nadir Osman
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  3. Sabrina De Cillis
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  4. Cyrille Guillot-Tantay
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  5. Francois Herve
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  6. Tanja Hüsch
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  7. Ester Illiano
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  8. Antonio Tienza Fernandez
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  9. Manuela Tutolo
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  10. Luis Vale
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  12. Fabiana Cancrini
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  13. Steeve Doizi
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  14. Paolo Geretto
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  15. Nicholas Raison
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  16. Howard B. Goldman
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  17. Piotr Chlosta
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  18. Veronique Phe
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Contributions

MP, NO, SDC, CGT, FH, TH, EI, ATF, MT, LV, MC, FC, SD, PG, NR, HBG, PC, and VP were involved in conceptualization, investigation, methodology, and writing—review & editing. MP performed formal analysis, project administration, supervision, validation, visualization, and writing—original draft. MP and PC did funding acquisition and provided resources.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mikolaj Przydacz.

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Conflicts of interest

The authors have nothing to disclose.

Ethical approval

This study was performed in compliance with Good Clinical Practice and in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The research ethics committee of Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland approved this study (1072.6120.331.2021); in addition, this study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05462171). Informed consent was provided by all participants.

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All participants provided informed consent.

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Przydacz, M., Osman, N., De Cillis, S. et al. Overactive bladder negatively affects erectile function and promotes premature ejaculation: findings from large representative population-level study. World J Urol 42, 139 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-024-04841-5

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