Abstract
The purpose of this research was to determine the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) in a non-selected population using the abridged 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) as a diagnostic tool. In a non-institutionalized population and during a free screening program for prostate cancer (Prostate Cancer Awareness Week of Santa Casa Hospital, Porto Alegre, Brazil), from 26 to 30 July 1998, all men who were attending were invited to complete a sexual activity questionnaire (the abridged 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function-IIEF-5) as a diagnostic tool for ED. The possible scores for the IIEF-5 range from 5 to 25, and ED was classified into five categories based on the scores: severe (5–7), moderate (8–11), mild to moderate (12–16), mild (17–21), and no ED (22–25). Of the 1071 men who participated in the program, 965 (90.1%) were included in this study. Of the responding men 850 were Caucasian (88%) and 115 were black (12%). The mean age of the men was 60.7 y, ranging from 40 to 90 y old. In this sample the prevalence of all degrees of ED was estimated as 53.9%. In this group of men, the degree of ED was mild in 21.5%, mild to moderate in 14.1%, moderate in 6.3%, and severe in 11.9%. According to age the rates of ED were: 40–49 (36.4%); 50–59 (42.5%); 60–69 (58.1%); 70–79 (79.4%), and over 80 y (100%) showed ED (P<0.05). The Pearson coefficients between the variables age and IIEF-5 showed a statistically significant inverse (negative) relation (r=−0.3449; P<0.05). ED is highly prevalent in men over 40 and this condition showed a clear relationship to aging, as demonstrated in other studies published. The simplified IIEF-5, as a diagnostic tool, showed to be an easy method, which can be used to evaluate this condition in studies with a great number of men.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 8 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $32.38 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
NIH Consensus Development Panel on Impotence. Impotence JAMA 1993 270: 83–90
Feldman HA et al. Impotence and its medical and psychosocial correlates: results of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study J Urol 1994 151: 54–61
Morley JE . Impotence Am J Med 1986 80: 897–905
Goldstein I et al. Oral sildenafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction New Engl J Med 1998 338: 1397–1404
Jonler M et al. The effect of age, ethnicity and geographical location on impotence and quality of life Br J Urol 1995 75: 651–655
Laumann EO, Paik A, Rosen RC . Sexual dysfunction in the United States. Prevalence and predictors JAMA 1999 281: 537–544
Kirby RS . Impotence: diagnosis and management of male erectile dysfunction Br Med J 1994 308: 957–961
Wagner G, Saenz de Tejada I . Update on male erectile dysfunction Br Med J 1998 316: 678–682
Rosen RC et al. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF): a multidimensional scale for assessment of erectile dysfunction Urology 1997 49: 822–830
Rosen RC et al. Development and evaluation of an abridged, 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) as a diagnostic tool for erectile dysfunction Int J Impot Res 1999 11: 319–326
Lehmann K, Eichlisberger R, Gasser TC . Lack of diagnostic tools to prove erectile dysfunction: consequences for reimbursement? J Urol 2000 163: 91–94
Cappelleri JC, Rosen RC . Reply to ‘The sexual health inventory for men (IIEF-5)’ by Ja Vroege Int J Impot Res 1999 11: 353–354
Benet AE, Melman A . The epidemiology of erectile dysfunction Urol Clin North Am 1995 22: 699–709
Rubin A, Babbott D . Impotence in diabetes mellitus JAMA 1958 168: 498–500
Kolodny RC, Kahn CB, Goldstein HH, Burnett DM . Sexual dysfunction in diabetic men Diabetes 1973 23: 306–309
Hanash KA . Comparative results of goal oriented therapy for erectile dysfunction J Urol 1997 157: 2135–2140
Nickel JC et al. Endocrine dysfunction in impotence, significance and cost-effective screening J Urol 1984 132: 40–43
Krane RJ, Goldstein I, Saenz De Tejada I . Medical progress: impotence New Engl J Med 1989 321: 1648–1659
Andersson KE, Wagner G . Physiology of penile erection Physiol Rev 1995 75: 191–196
Lerner SE, Melman A, Christ GJ . A review of erectile dysfunction: new insights and more questions J Urol 1993 149: 1246–1256
Taub HC, Lerner SE, Melman A, Christ GJ . Relationship between contraction and relaxation in human and rabbit corpus cavernosum Urology 1993 42: 698–704
Kaiser FE et al. Impotence and aging: clinical and hormonal factors J Am Geriatr Soc 1988 36: 511–516
Diokno AC, Brown MR, Herzog AR . Sexual dysfunction in the eldery Arch Intern Med 1990 150: 197–200
Panser LA et al. Sexual function of men ages 40 to 79 y: the Olmsted county study of urinary symptoms and health status among men J Am Geriatr Soc 1995 43: 1107–1111
Rundles RW . Diabetic neuropathy Medicine 1945 24: 111–160
Lue T . Erectile dysfunction New Engl J Med 2000 342: 1802–1813
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rhoden, E., Telöken, C., Sogari, P. et al. The use of the simplified International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) as a diagnostic tool to study the prevalence of erectile dysfunction. Int J Impot Res 14, 245–250 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3900859
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3900859
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Estrogenic endocrine disruptor exposure directly impacts erectile function
Communications Biology (2024)
-
Prevalence of new onset erectile dysfunction among Damietta governorate men after contracting COVID-19
Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -) (2024)
-
Comparison of the efficacy of the early LI-SWT plus daily tadalafil with daily tadalafil only as penile rehabilitation for postprostatectomy erectile dysfunction
International Journal of Impotence Research (2023)
-
Associations between sexually submissive and dominant behaviors and sexual function in men and women
International Journal of Impotence Research (2023)
-
Altered reward processing in patients with lifelong premature ejaculation
Scientific Reports (2023)